Art History: Impressionism Movement Analysis Essay, University Name

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the Impressionism art movement, examining its origins in 1874 and its impact on the art world. It discusses the movement's break from traditional styles, the innovative techniques employed by artists, and the shift towards modernity. The essay highlights the contributions of key figures like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro, focusing on their significant artworks and their influence on art history. It explores how these artists challenged conventions, embraced bright colors, and captured the essence of the world around them. The essay concludes by summarizing the lasting legacy of Impressionism and its impact on subsequent art movements, emphasizing the enduring influence of the artists discussed and their groundbreaking approaches to art. The essay also includes a detailed reference list in APA format.

Running head: ART HISTORY
Art History
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ART HISTORY
Introduction
The beginning of the impressionism art began in the year 1874 by a group of anonymous
artists. This group was called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Printmakers
etc. They developed a new form of the artistic tradition that was very impactful in the lives of the
contemporary people. This art movement had begun when they launched an exhibition of art at
Paris. Some of the founding members of this art movement were Claude Monet, Edgar Degas
and Camille Pissarro (Dodgson, 2019).
The group was very much unified because they were very much independent from the
annual Salon that was the official group of art in the country. These painters or artists were very
much independent and their approach to painting was very much diverse than the formal ones.
The subject matter of their painting was very much innovative in their styles. The works that
belong to the artists of impressionism are mainly recognized for the modernity that they bring in
for the common people.
Discussion
The main essence of the impressionism art movement lies in the fact of their modern
styles and the challenge they took to break through barriers of the established styles. This is what
made them very famous. The proponents of this art movement were also very attached to the
development of these movements (Dodgson, 2019). One of the critics like Louis Leroy said that
this art movement was born out of the ‘impression’ but it was not actually the finished painting
at all. Rather its innovative styles had gathered the attraction of the art lovers of the time. The
works of art through the loose brushworks had completely changed the landscape of the artistic

2ART HISTORY
compositions of the time (Broude, 2019). The spontaneous efforts of the artists could be reflected
through this kind of artwork in this art movement.
This new kind of artistic traditions set for the new types of languages in the society. The
academic painting had used many sober colors that were very much effective for the
contemporary painters (Broude, 2019). On the contrary, the proponents of this art movement had
completely used some bright colors that were astonishing to the eyes of the traditional art lovers.
In usual times, painters used the brushes to use the golden varnish colors. This is why it was
completely useful for them to avoid that color and use others to tone down their artistic works.
The most important fact behind the beginning of this kind of movement was their
dissatisfaction of the academic and traditional painting (Hendren, 2017). The academic painting
only used their emphasis on the mythological and historical aspects. Therefore, they were not at
all pleased with these situations and they wanted to bring in some new things that would be
entertaining as well as interesting (Mauclair, 2019). This is why these independent artists began
their way of expressing their minds through their brushes. They wanted to have the rights that
they could use various new textures and used some surface patterns in this scenario.
Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro were two of the most potent artists of this period and
they exhibited their depth of artistic knowledge in these sections. The artistic traditions went
through complete down-gradation and the independent artists went on to manipulate the colors
according to their will (Hendren, 2017). This was the major critique that came from the ideas of
the traditional artists. The independent artist group of the Impressionist group began the practice
of painting outdoors while looking at the actual landscape (Fénéon & Thomson, 2014).

3ART HISTORY
The contributions of Claude Monet were immense for the success of the impressionism.
Monet was very much interested in leaving the traditional conventions of historical and religious
attributes (Fénéon & Thomson, 2014). Therefore, his interests grew on depicting the French
countryside through his artwork. This was the only opportunity for him to become an
independent artist and indulge in the art movement of the impressionist group. He wanted to
portray the passing of the seasons as well as changing of the lights. The Water Lilies became one
of the most notable works for Claude Monet (Berrong, 2017). This was a large landscape and
varied use of colors could be noted in this artwork. He began this artwork by 1899 and continued
with this artwork for the 20 years of his life.
Another person who contributed to the development of this artwork was Camille Pissarro.
He was definitely one of the stalwarts in this movement. He was a Danish-French impressionist
artist and his artworks are considered as great landmarks for both impressionism movements as
well post-impressionism (Willsdon, 2017). He did not like the artifice or grandeur in his
paintings. Rather he wanted to portray the common men or individuals in the natural settings.
One of the best artworks that could be contributed to Camille Pissarro was that of the Boulevard
Montmartre at Night. These works by Pissarro and Monet were very important for art history
since they did not look to follow the conventional history at all (Brodskaïa, 2018).

4ART HISTORY
Conclusion
In the concluding section it can be said that the impressionism art movement was one of
the most notable art movements in the history. The efforts and zeal of most of the artists were
shown to be immense by all conditions. They have best efforts to use new complexions in their
artwork. This is what took them to the ultimate levels indeed. Their new brush styles and other
factors took them to the new heights.

5ART HISTORY
References
Berrong, R. M. (2017). Putting Monet and Rembrandt into Words: Pierre Loti's Recreation and
Theorization of Claude Monet's Impressionism and Rembrandt's Landscapes in
Literature. The University of North Carolina Press.
Brodskaïa, N. (2018). Impressionism. Parkstone International.
Broude, N. (2019). Impressionism: a feminist reading: the gendering of art, science, and nature
in the nineteenth century. Routledge.
Dodgson, N. A. (2019). Abstract depiction of human figures in impressionist art and children’s
picture books. Computers & Graphics: X, 1, 100002.
Fénéon, F., & Thomson, B. (2014). The Impressionists in 1886. Art in Translation, 6(3), 271-
285.
Hendren, C. (2017). Impressionist Art in Private Clubs: The Case Study of the Union League
Club (1886-1902). Transatlantica. Revue d’études américaines. American Studies
Journal, (2).
Mauclair, C. (2019). The French Impressionists (1860-1900). Good Press.
Willsdon, C. A. (2017). ‘Promenades et plantations’: Impressionism, conservation and
Haussmann’s reinvention of Paris. In Soil and Stone (pp. 121-138). Routledge.