Summary
Highlights
Impressionism, particularly Monet's works like 'Meadow with Poplars' and 'Impression, Sunrise,' is now mainstream but was revolutionary and rejected by the Parisian art establishment in its time. Artists such as Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, and Degas formed their own corporation to exhibit their work, which was met with harsh criticism for its 'haphazard techniques' and 'unfinished' look. The term 'Impressionism' was initially a derogatory label derived from Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise,' but the artists eventually adopted it.
One key characteristic of Impressionism is the use of complementary colors, which are opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g., orange and blue). These combinations create tension and grab the viewer's attention, making the image more vibrant and engaging compared to using analogous colors.
Impressionists used optical color, which depicts how color appears to the eye under specific lighting conditions, rather than how the mind knows it to be (local color). For example, in 'Impression, Sunrise,' the figures on the boat appear unified in color due to the sunrise washing out individual colors. Another trait is the impasto brushstroke – thick, textured paint application that emphasizes the painted surface and moves away from the idea of a painting as a window to another world.
The sketchy, spontaneous, and unoutlined quality of Impressionist paintings creates a feeling of constant movement and instability. This mirrored the post-industrial world the artists lived in, where life was rapidly changing and new. Unlike realists who aimed to fix a moment for contemplation, Impressionists captured the fleeting sensations of a dynamic world, reflecting the excitement and chaos of modern life.
Monet's 'Grain Stacks' series, painted around 1891, exemplifies how Impressionists explored the changeability of light and optical color. By painting the same grain stack at different times of day and year, Monet demonstrated how light constantly alters our perception of color, making a grain stack appear pink at sunset, for instance, compared to its known color in daylight. This contrasts with the realist approach of using local color, which depicts objects as the mind knows them to be.