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Impressionism

Impressionism is an art movement that originated in France in the late 19th century. Impressionist painters were considered 'radical', because they didn't paint the typical historical scenes that looked smooth and perfect. Impressionist painters liked to paint items found in nature, using bright colours and trying to capture what things really looked like, often standing outside to paint what they saw, rather than inside a studio. Impressionist painters particularly enjoyed trying to show the effect the sun, light and the different seasons had upon nature.

Impressionist painters often avoided using smooth brushstrokes and focusing too much on detail. They liked to paint things simply and with uneven brushstrokes, rather than perfect straight lines.
Impressionist paintings were not popular with the general public until the 1920s and now sell for very large prices.

The artists most often associated with impressionism include: Degas, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Pissarro.

Here is a painting by Monet taken from up close. You can see that he uses many colours to create what looks like a yellow water lily from far away.

Click here to learn more about Monet