IMPRESSIONISM ART

(1865- 1885)

The Impressionism period was a time when some artists thought of the idea, for them to create artworks that were a record of the outside setting and environment during a specific time. The time frames selected to paint would be a moment in which we are able to see many colours and reflections of light on a surface area, in the sky, on the rivers, buildings and the sea. So, this was their attempt to represent natural light.

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At this time the artists abandoned the traditional colour palette of muted greens, browns, and greys.

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Though their style of artworks were rejected by galleries, because they were considered to be unfinished by art critics, this made them start a new movement titled the Impressionism movement that many artist of our current society follow.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPRESSIONISM

• Instead they used lighter, sunnier, more brilliant colours to paint with.

• They began by painting the play of light upon water and the reflected colours.

For example: ​

• Rivers,

• The sea,

• The sky

• Early mornings,

• Late evenings,

• Night scenes, which also

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• Showed the ripple effect of light on surfaces and in nature.

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• The artworks did not show the use of black and grey shadow tones as how we would expect in a realistic drawing or painting.

• They moved away from realistic appearances.

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• The visual artists manipulated the use of colour, tone, and texture.

• Use of flat colours.

• Focused on surface texture.

• Less realistic in terms of the characters  and the outside environment which were painted.

• Broken colours.

• Contrasting colours

• Complementary colours.

• Blurred outlines or no clear outlines.

• Shimmering colours.

• Vibrating brush strokes or lines.

• Outdoor settings, places or conditions.

• Less formal and more casual paintings, which presented everyday people and the outside environment.

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• Painters used paint as they were directly from the tube.

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• The impressionists had to paint quickly, so they could capture the light in nature.

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• The paintings showed:

• Landscapes,

• trees,

• houses,

• town / urban street scenes and railroad stations.

• weather conditions

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• The speed of the Impressionists' painting technique forced them to sacrifice accurate line and detail in favour of atmospheric effect.

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• Impressionist compositions were strongly influenced by the development of photography and the discovery of Japanese woodcuts.

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The Salon de Paris

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• During the 19th century, the Académie des Beaux Arts was the pillar of the French artistic establishment and it held an annual open exhibition at the Salon de Paris. The jury of the Académie saw itself as the protector of the artistic traditions of its day and upheld these by controlling the standard of paintings that were accepted into the Salon exhibitions. Any new work that challenged their standards was rejected and many of the young innovative Impressionist painters of the day frequently found themselves excluded from this mainstream exhibition.

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As a result, the painters who were rejected were labelled as the "impressionists". At the time the name impressionist was an by insult instead of a compliment. 

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The visual artists who were reject by the judges, curators and gallery owners at the "Salon de Paris" hosted their own art exhibition called "Salon des Refusées".

The "Salon des Refusées" art exhibition presented a variety of artworks  within a public environment which attracted a larger audience than the "Salon de Paris". The audience who attended the "Salon des Refusées" had a more positive reaction towards the various paintings, sculptures and creative expressions displayed by the visual artists.

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