Art is very inspiring! But, ever thought what is the driving force of that everlasting inspiration?
It’s the art movements! They not only inspired but also elevated the standards of art for centuries.
The world has been a witness to various art movements like Renaissance (In which The Mona Lisa painting was created), Baroque and Impressionism.
Today we’re going to decipher Impressionism but from an artists perspective!
So get ready to come across some astonishing Impressionist artists and their stunning artworks.
Table of contents
What is Impressionism?
Discovered in the 19th century, Impressionism inspired many artists across the globe.
It talked about a very liberal form of art which was never witnessed on the canvas before.
From free brush strokes to non figurative subjects, everything became a part of the Impressionist movement.
It was as if artists found an alternative way of presenting their thoughts.
Many artists got influenced by Impressionism and found themselves indulged in the dripping canvas!
With that being said about the art movement, let’s move forward and discover the Impressionist artists and their breathtaking artworks.
Suggested Read: Figurative Art
1. Claude Monet
Also known as the founding father of the Impressionist art movement, Oscar-Claude Monet was a French impressionist painter.
He produced over 2,500 dazzling Impressionist artworks in his lifetime. No wonder he was termed as the most consistent and prolific Impressionist of all time.
Monet had a certain affinity towards nature. He often found himself outdoors observing and painting the elements of nature.
Some of his artworks such as Water Lilies and Impressions, Sunrise are a testament to Monet’s love for nature.
Claude Monet not only became the flag bearer of the Impressionist art movement in Europe, but also elevated the standards of painting in Europe.
His artworks are known to elevate the aesthetics of any wall they’re hung on!
Thinking about getting your own Claude Monet replica?
2. Paul Cezanne
One of the most famous French artists of all time, Paul Cezanne gained popularity for painting still life in Impressionist art style.
With over 1300 astonishing Impressionist artworks to his name, Cezanne created an aura of versatility around Impressionism style.
Most of Cezanne’s artworks depicted human subjects set in a mesmerizing background.
For instance, Spring 1860 by Cezanne portrays a woman wearing a cherry red dress standing with a beautiful flower vase in the backdrop.
Cezanne’s pattern of producing art was not easy to track. He kept on switching themes between still life, naturalist themes and human subjects.
His complexity is often compared with his close association to Vincent Van Gogh.
3. Edgar Degas
A Parisian by birth, Edgar Degas created some of the best paintings of the Impressionism time period.
His mastery in portraying indoor scenes on the canvas is shown in his paintings.
Degas painted young ballerinas of the Paris Theatre to etched perfection. He was known to replicate their dance moves with his brush strokes.
His paintings such as The Ballet Class justify the immaculate level of observation he had for the ballet.
Apart from his 400 oil paintings, Edgar Degas also grabbed some attention after he sculpted some bronze sculptures with Impressionism characteristics.
His expertise in realist paintings also made him a prominent artist of realism.
4. Edouard Manet
Ever heard of an Impressionist artist who was proficient in painting biblical themes on his canvas with the Impressionist painting style?
Sounds unbelievable right? However, it was not for Edouard Manet, the ace of Impressionism oil paintings.
Manet was also a resident of Paris, hence he captured some snapshots of the city with his brush.
His paintings such as The Balcony and The Railway depict classic French culture diligently.
On the other hand, artworks like Olympia show his impressionist painting style to the world.
Manet painted over 900 artworks in his lifetime. Contrasting from Realism, Modernism and Impressionism.
5. Pierre- Auguste Renoir
A maestro of the Impressionism art movement, Pierre-Auguste Renoir astonished the world with creating over 4000 paintings using impressionist art style.
Renoir’s favorite subjects were young couples. He was a great admirer of intimacy.
Most of the Renoir paintings depict scenes of isolated couples spending some quality time together.
However, Impressionist artwork Bal du Moulin de la Galette shows the variety of thought Renoir had as an artist.
It represents a social scene where Parisians can be seen chilling on a weekend. It’s a pure example of Impressionism modern art by Renoir.
6. Berthe Morisot
Hailing from a family of bourgeois, Berthe Morisot was an art lover since childhood.
She often found herself indulged in activities like watercoloring and plain sketching at a very young age.
Her habit of drawing preparatory sketches before using the color took her to perfection while practicing Impressionism oil painting.
Her artworks such as Jeune Fille au Manteau Vert depicted her interest in covering human subjects in the most accurate Impressionist painting style.
She painted nearly 242 Impressionism artworks in her lifetime and left an impact on the upcoming generations with them.
Suggested Read: Famous Spanish Artists
7. Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt was a very special artist. She was one of the very few artists from America who took up Impressionism as a true style of art.
Cassatt hailed from a family where cross-border traveling was considered as a prominent experience for learning about life.
Ever Since she started painting, she traveled across Europe for five years. Where she developed a female-centric point of view of art.
It’s also reflected in her artworks like Summertime, Women Holding a Fan and Tea.
Cassatt’s legacy continued when she collaborated with Edgar Degas to produce a classic Impressionism landscape painting.
Over the years, Mary Cassatt painted 306 artworks with an essence of Impressionism embedded in each one of them.
8. Alfred Sisley
Born to British parents, Alfred Sisley was an Impressionist artist of French descent.
He traveled around the world and gathered a lot of experience in developing a perspective towards art as a subject.
Spending most of his time in France, he painted the stunning French Landscapes with free and liberated brush strokes.
Sisley was known for putting slight details to his paintings, which is a rare element in Impressionist artworks.
Before finalizing his artworks, he often made landscape pencil portraits of his ideations.
These details can be seen in his artworks such as Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne.
Sisley was not just a colleague but a friend to other Impressionist artists like Renoir and Monet.
He created over 1000 paintings in his career, most of them inspired from naturalistic themes evident in Claude Monet paintings.
9. Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was an Impressionist artist from a Danish-French background. He was born in the U.S Virgin Islands but spent most of his life in France.
Pissarro painted over 1500 paintings in his lifetime. Majority of them are based upon the cityscapes of Paris.
His paintings had a special color scheme which captivated the viewers to a certain extent.
Some of his followers even claim that “he paints the smell of earth”! It’s a very big compliment for any artist.
Camille Pissarro was indeed a passionate man. Even after establishing himself as a maestro of Impressionism, he learnet the Neo-impressionist style of painting at the age of 54.
Conclusion
After getting acquainted with these ultimately talented Impressionist artists and their artworks, you might’ve been astonished!
Well, that’s the beauty of art! It can keep you surprised with every glance.
These artists defined Impressionism in such a way that it’ll be admired and practiced for centuries.
Impressionist paintings have ruled the galleries of famous museums and art galleries for a century.
How would you react after knowing that you can have them hung on your walls just for a few hundred bucks!
Author’s Note
Hello readers,
I’m grateful that you read my blog in detail and stayed till the end!
I’ve tried my best to explain Impressionism in detail. However, if you feel like adding something, the comment section is all yours.
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FAQs
Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro painted Impressionism paintings on landscape themes.
French painter Alfred Sisley started combining Impressionism with modern art.
The Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France is the place where the majority of the Impressionist artworks are kept.
