Video:What Is Impressionism?

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Transcript:What Is Impressionism?

Impressionism is about the nature of fugitive light falling on surfaces. This play of moving light, as opposed to stationary light, expresses the ephemeral quality of modernity.

Information About Impressionism

Impressionism is about the temporary, the here and now, and not about the timeless, the forever. Impressionism is about life lived in bursts of brief encounters in the city. It's about faster speeds, quickly moving clouds, sunshine reflected on water, and the shimmer of satin ribbons dangling from a baby's cradle.

Additional Information About Impressionism

Above all, Impressionism is about modernity: its faster pace and various improvements in the quality of daily life. It is about middle class activities: shopping, vacationing, rushing, strolling, lingering, waiting, working and taking time off to flirt in a Montmartre dance hall or a restaurant on the Seine.

Notes About Impressionism

The artists who seemed to quickly jot down these instances of modern life were playfully dubbed "Impressionists" and their paintings became known as "Impressionism. "The Impressionists' technique developed during the late 1860s. In the earliest reviews, one of Claude Monet’s works in 1873, titled - Impression: Sunrise inspired the critical nickname "Impressionism."

The Key Characteristics of Impressionism are:Light and its reflection. Quickly painted surfaces (or the appearance of quickly painted surfaces).Dots, dashes, commas and other short brushstrokes.Separating colors and letting the eye's perception mix them. Modern life as the subject matter.

Well-Known Impressionists

And some of the best known impressionists are:

• Claude Monet
• Edgar Degas
• Pierre-August Renoir
• Camille Pissarro
• Berthe Morisot
• Mary Cassatt
• Alfred Sisley
• Gustave Caillebotte
• and Armand Guillauminto

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