Impressionism was a radical style of painting in the late 19th century.
Impressionist works of art are alive with color, movement and light. Impressionist paintings are characterized by short, irregular brushstrokes; by vivid, unblended color; and by vague or uncompleted forms. These paintings pay particular attention to the quality of light, rendering shadows and highlights with pure color, rather than neutral tones of black, white or gray. The Impressionist style was developed in opposition to the Academic style of painting, which was the accepted style of the time period, the late 19th century.
The Rise of Impressionism
In 1874, a group of artists in France decided to put on an exhibition of paintings that had been rejected by the Royal Academy of Art in France. The paintings had been rejected because they did not fit the acceptable style of Academic painting that the Academy favored. Academy art was very realistic looking, or representational. Colors were subdued, the paintings were usually created in a studio, and the finished works were very polished and complete. The rejected paintings were very different. Colors were bright and intense, the paintings were often created outdoors, and the forms were "impressionistic" and seemed unpolished and incomplete. These were the first Impressionist paintings.
Brushstrokes and Movement
Short, rough and textured brushstrokes are some of the most striking characteristics of the Impressionist style. The scattered brushstrokes seem thoughtless, even careless, but this technique was a deliberate attempt to create a sense of movement and spontaneity in the paintings that reflected the intensity of modern life. Paint would also be laid on thickly to create three-dimensional texture. This added to the sense of animation and drama characteristic of Impressionist painting.
Uncompleted Forms
Another characteristic of Impressionist paintings is the imprecise, blurred or dreamlike rendering of forms. Outlines of objects sometimes remain incomplete. This causes the paintings to look different as you move toward or away from them; your mind compensates for the impreciseness of the forms. Unlike the still and static Academic-style paintings, Impressionist paintings change according to your distance and perspective.
Color and Light
The Impressionists often worked outdoors and they paid particular attention to the characteristics of light. They often used undiluted, vivid colors to approximate the hues of objects in natural sunlight. New types of paints were developed during this period and the new, never-before-seen colors were used freely by the Impressionists. Color was often added to areas of shadow, rather than shades of gray as in previous styles. This created a luminous effect that evoked, rather than imitated, the colors of nature.
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