Impressionism Original

Impressionism Original

Impressionism is the one art movement that most people are familiar with; it's also produced some of the world's most instantly recognizable and best loved paintings, familiar from countless posters, greeting cards and advertising material. Today, some of the Impressionist painters are among the most famous names in art - Degas, Pissaro, Monet and Seurat - and their works routinely fetch some of the highest prices. The name Impressionism was derived from reviews of a painting by Monet called Impression, Sunrise. Although the remarks were meant to be scathing and critical, the rather appropriate name stuck.

Impressionism had its origins in and around Paris during the 1870s. At the time, Paris was the undisputed capital of the art world and most painters gravitated there; a group of artists that included Monet, Sisley and Renoir painted together and were soon joined by others including Pissaro and Cezanne. Many of them settled in the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood of Paris; and today in Paris and other parts of France, you can still recognize landmarks and scenes that are virtually unchanged from when they were painted over a century ago.

Like most other art movements, Impressionism was largely a way of rebelling against what had gone before - in this case, the works on show at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. The annual exhibition had become an important showcase for artists, although it largely featured predictable works by established artists that depicted conventional portraits, religious and historical themes, all in a finished style. The Impressionists were also influenced by the realistic paintings of Coubert and the colorful works of Delacroix.

In 1863, a painting by Manet titled Le Dejeuner sur L'Herbe, (Picnic on the Grass) was rejected by the Academy, partly because of its subject matter - a naked woman having a picnic with two clothed men. This move led to France's Emperor allowing the public to judge new works, rather than a panel of expert judges and critics and was largely responsible for the popularity of Impressionism.

The so-called Salon of the Refused was established, which not only allowed rejected and sometimes controversial artists to exhibit their work - it also ironically became more popular than the established salon. Several Impressionist artists also organized their own exhibition of their works in 1874, followed by several more exhibitions - each time, becoming more and more popular with the public. Exhibitions were also held in New York and London; despite all this, most of the Impressionist artists remained penniless during their lifetime.

The name Impressionism sums up the movement effectively, as the painters were largely concerned with trying to create an impression of something, frequently a landscape with dramatic weather or light conditions. Often, they would paint the same subject many times to give different views in different seasons, or different times of day - most notably, Monet's many studies of Rouen Cathedral. Impressionist paintings also used bright colors and a variety of different brushstrokes, as well as specks or dabs of color. And many Impressionist painters moved out of the still traditional studio setting, to paint outdoors. Many Impressionist paintings were of landscapes, seascapes and street scenes - even railway stations.

By the 1880s, Impressionism although popular, was beginning to dissolve, as the various artists involved started to experiment individually in different directions. The movement did spread to the United States, where artists such as Vonnoh, Cassat and Reid continued the theme. The Impressionists also influenced much of what was to follow in the world of art, including Cubism and Abstract Expressionism; today it is arguably the best loved art movement of the past 200 years.

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Link for the original Impressionism,Sunrise by Monet?

I tried looking for it on Google but these fake ones kept coming out. I can't really differentiate the real from the fake so can somebody give me the link? Also, the picture needs to have a high resolution cause I need to analyse it later.(but if its not I guess its okay...) Thanks!

It's at the Musee Marmottan in Paris, so you can find a good image on their website.