Impressionist Art
Emerging in 19th-century France, Impressionist art embraced loose brushwork and plein-air painting to respond to the movement of daily life. Although the pioneers of the Impressionist movement — Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir — are now household names, their work was a radical break with an art scene led and shaped by academic traditions for around two centuries. These academies had oversight of a curriculum that emphasized formal drawing, painting and sculpting techniques and historical themes.
The French Impressionists were influenced by a group of artists known as the Barbizon School, who painted what they witnessed in nature. The rejection of pieces by these artists and the later Impressionists from the salons culminated in a watershed 1874 exhibition in Paris that was staged outside of the juried systems. After a work of Monet’s was derided by a critic as an unfinished “impression,” the term was taken as a celebration of their shared interest in capturing fleeting moments as subject matter, whether the shifting weather on rural landscapes or the frenzy of an urban crowd. Rather than the exacting realism of the academic tradition, Impressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings represented how an artist saw a world in motion.
Many Impressionist painters were inspired by the perspectives in imported Japanese prints alongside these shifts in European painting — Édouard Manet drew on ukiyo-e woodblock prints and depicted Japanese design in his Portrait of Émile Zola, for example. American artists such as Mary Cassatt and William Merritt Chase, who studied abroad, were impacted by the work of the French artists, and by the late 19th century American Impressionism had its own distinct aesthetics with painters responding to the rapid modernization of cities through quickly created works that were vivid with color and light.
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Mid-18th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil, Cardboard
Artist Comments
Towering cumulus clouds drift overhead and provide shade to the beach below. The contrast between the monumental sky and the quiet human presence on the shore speaks to humans' small but significant place in the natural world. Painted with oil on canvas, this impressionist seascape evokes tranquility.
About the Artist
Artist Aruna Rao paints impressionistic seascapes that capture the shimmer of light, the movement of water, and the quiet poetry of coastal life. "I am endlessly inspired by how light transforms a scene, softening the atmosphere and turning an ordinary moment into something unforgettable," says Aruna. Growing up in a literary family in India, she was surrounded by stories and art, which sparked her love of narrative and visual expression. After a 20-year career in IT, she returned to painting, earning an MFA with top honors from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Living in Florida offers endless inspiration, from sunrise beaches and glowing horizons to quiet harbors and small human moments that evoke joy and nostalgia. Influenced by French Impressionists and contemporary coastal painters, Aruna creates luminous works that invite the viewer to pause, breathe, and rediscover the beauty of the present moment. When she is not painting, she enjoys beach walks, discovering music, watching films with her husband, and spending time with their two cats.
Words that describe this painting: cloudscape, cloud, beach, coast, shore, summer, Marc Hanson...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
1970s Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Linen, Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Linen, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1910s Impressionist Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic, Canvas
1910s Impressionist Art
Etching
Artist Comments
In a beautiful, sunlit garden, a young woman immerses herself in the world of literature. Surrounded by flowers, she enjoys the company of words. Bathed in a hazy glow, the scene exudes a timeless and romantic aura.
About the Artist
Sherri Aldawood didn't intend to always paint flowers, but over time her love of gardens started to permeate her art. She focuses on the light and color of the flowers on the canvas. Sherri prefers alla prima, working with wet layers of paint instead of letting them dry. She keeps the paint as wet as possible by using walnut and clove oil...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Linen, Oil
1920s Impressionist Art
Oil
1980s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil, Board, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil, Board
1980s Impressionist Art
Tapestry
1930s Impressionist Art
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Gouache, Bamboo Paper
1920s Impressionist Art
Masonite, Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1920s Impressionist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Pencil, Crayon
20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
1930s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Art
Watercolor
1930s Impressionist Art
Oil, Board
Early 1900s Impressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A street in Chicago comes alive on a rainy afternoon. The wet pavement reflects the city lights, creating a shimmering effect as cars and pedestrians move thr...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
1910s Impressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
1910s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Early 1900s Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Late 19th Century Impressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1940s Impressionist Art
Oil
1890s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil




