Impressionism

Impressionism is an art form that originated in France around 1870. Claude Monet was one of the most important representatives of this style. On his trip to London in 1870 he became acquainted with the pictures of the English painter J.M.W Turner. Turner`s luminous impressions of nature had a significant influence on Monet. With just a few brushstrokes, Monet succeeds in depicting the reflections of the water reflections in his painting, a sunrise in the port of Le Havre.

Today`s best-known Impressionist painting did not go down well with the public at its first exhibition. Cézanne, Monet, Pissaro, Degas, Renoir and other Impressionists organized an art exhibition in 1874 on an initiative after their works had failed the official art exhibitions and were not accepted. The painters only met with ridicule and criticism from the public, whereby they were described as impressionists (=artists of the fleeting moment), which was meant very pejoratively.

The prehistory

The concept of art was strongly influenced in France in the mid-19th century by the art school École des Beaux-Arts ("the Salon") in Paris. It was under the complete authority of the painter Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). He believed that the line in a work of art was more important than the form. Ingres demanded the most precise drawings from his students, only allowing color for coloring. The opponents of these classicist views were guided by Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863). The Romantic Delacroix considered color to be more important than drawing. He attached great importance to feeling and individual expression. The dispute between Ingres and Delacroix was discussed among the students in many cafes. Edouard Manet (1832-1883), brought about the definitive break with the Ingres followers.

Manet gave priority to subjective perception in bright colors. In his famous picture "Frühstück im Grünen" (1883) he painted a naked woman in the midst of a company of gentlemen, which was a shocking motif for the time. However, "the Salon" still decided on the exhibition rights of the pictures and rejected the majority of the pictures of today`s famous painters such as Paul Cézanne. In 1863, Napoleon III set up a counter-exhibition, the Salon des Refusés (= Salon of the Rejected), to give rejected artists a chance.

The first Impressionist exhibition took place in France in 1874. A second one followed in April 1876, which was organized due to the artists` lack of money. The critics called the exhibition a disaster. Only a single proponent, customs officer Victor Chocquetes, bought and collected the Impressionist paintings. Despite the defeats, the painters were not discouraged and continued to paint. It was not until the late 19th century that they received the attention they deserved.

Characteristics and painting techniques of impressionism

The motifs are often impressions of nature. Seen up close, relatively coarse and rather short brushstrokes are visible in an Impressionist painting. Viewing the painting from a distance, the colors blur, creating an impression of the detail through the viewer`s brain. In this way, the viewer`s imagination is included and the viewer actively participates in the effect of a picture. The composition, spatial effect and lines recede. The formations, light and shadow are represented by the play of light and color on the surface.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the two French painters Georges Seurat (1859-1891) and Paul Signac (1863-1935) took advantage of the newly emerging scientific theories of colour.They did not mix the colors as usual, but placed the colors next to each other unmixed as small dots of color. Due to the subtractive color mixing, the color impression green was created, for example, from blue and yellow color dots. The two "masters of the dots" belong to the movement of so-called neo-impressionism. French Impressionism also significantly influenced the German Impressionists such as Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth and Max Slevogt.