Pat & Carrol’s

Guide to Impressionism!

Super Fun

• In the late 19th century, French art was largely controlled by the Academy system.

• Accepted artistic standards were traditional and highly conservative.

• From these restrictions, the Salon de Refusés was born.

• Traveled much in his early life, in the wake of European wars.

• Preferred to paint landscapes and pastoral settings.

• Many of his works were refused acceptance into the Academy,

“Landscape is nothing but an impression, and an instantaneous one.” -Claude Monet

Impression, Sunrise

• Fascinated by the interplay of light, shadow, and color.

• Preferred to paint outside, almost always nature scenes.

• Used swift, overlapping brushstrokes, allowing the viewer’s eye to put the image together.

• Monet was a revolutionary, developing an entirely new artistic movement

• His paintings did not have a narrative component, unlike what was popular at the time.

• Would paint the same scenes over and over, observing how they changed.

• Painted light, uncomplicated scenes that can be understood without context.

• Profoundly affected by the pure, aesthetic beauty of nature.

• Believed artists should be free to pursue their passions.

• Created the term “Impressionism,” and blazed a trail for dozens of other artists to follow.

• Influenced the development of the landscape as a serious, meaningful subject.

• Freed the artist from the constraint of the studio