The textbook definition of Impressionism is "the
aim to reproduce the impression which eye and mind gather, rather than
representing actual fact." In art the Impressionistic style is
characterized by the attempt an artist makes to
"accurately and
objectively record visual reality in terms of transient effects of light and
colour. Impressionist paintings were created in number
between 1867 and 1886.
The style began in France and was considered quite radical, even
revolutionary. Artists by the likes of "Claude Monet,
Pierre
Auguste Renior, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Armand
Guillaumin and Frederic Bazille" all worked togther,
subsequently influencing each other. The group of artists exhibited together,
independant of outside support.
Other well known painters such as Edgar Degas and
Paul Cezanne also painted in the Impressionistic style for a period in
the
1870s. An interesting aspect of this style is that Impressionism is not only a
technique but in a greater view, it is a state of mind.
Your state of mind affects what you see and subsequently your painting will
reflect your state of mind. This is a reason why
established artists such as Edouard Manet found
this style to be so fulfilling a technique.
The influence Impressionism had was not held only in France, it spread
first to Germany and then throughout Europe. Today
the effects Impressionism has had are enjoyed world wide. (Anthony
Oliver)