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.
Find a collection of authentic Impressionist art on 1stDibs.
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1950s Impressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1910s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
1970s Impressionist Art
Oil
Late 19th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Art
Photographic Paper, Photographic Film
Artist Comments
In the middle of a rural landscape, a farmhouse stands out with its white, weathered walls against the vibrant field. Judy creates an emotionally moving work by...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Garments gently sway on a clothesline attached to a farmhouse, portraying the simple beauty of a typical day in the countryside. This artwork is part of artist ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A bird of paradise charms with its beauty. Its fiery petals contrast vividly with the lush green leaves. Inspired by her photograph taken during a stroll in San...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Acrylic
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This structure has stood on the lakefront walk since the 1920s. Although a sign advertising cold drinks, ice cream, and cigars has long disappeared, the stand r...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
An aerial view reveals a picturesque landscape of the South of France, with verdant greenery and farmland hugging a winding switchback road. While a zigzag path...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
In an orchard in Provence, France, olive trees dot the landscape. Streaks of sunlight filter through the leaves, warming the soil below. Using a palette knife a...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
As night approaches, the colors of the sky reflect on the pond, with the silhouette of trees filtering the fiery sunset. Water lilies pick up different hues as ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The glow of the Chicago Theater's sign contrasts radiantly with the deepening blues and browns of the urban landscape. Golden and russet tones of twilight bathe...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Gazing south down the California Coast toward Los Angeles, a dreamy coastal landscape depicts the Central California region. The stunning view encompasses Half ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A gated chateau in Aix en Provence offers a romantic feel as green foliage and warm sunlight spill over its yellow stone wall. The expressive strokes convey the...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Light and shadow play harmoniously in the courtyard of Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville, Spain. Foliage basks in the sun, while the fountain stays cool in the s...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Wildflowers bloom and display their fullest beauty in springtime, with their colorful petals capturing the light. The poppies in the foreground dominate the sce...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Pastel
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Pastel
Early 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
1970s Impressionist Art
Wax Crayon, Pastel
2010s Impressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
1930s Impressionist Art
Oil
20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
1860s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
20th Century Impressionist Art
Textile
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil Pastel
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil Pastel
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Art
Gouache
1970s Impressionist Art
Pastel, Wax Crayon
1970s Impressionist Art
Pastel, Wax Crayon
Late 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Art
Paper, Tempera, Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Art
Canvas, Oil