Thoughts on Impressionism

I personally am fond of the Impressionist style, and particularly the paintings of nature. I appreciate the vibrant colors and loose brush strokes characteristic of the Impressionist style and their almost-optical-illusion effect. I’m always impressed with painters who can portray water and glass effectively, though in this case water is the main focus. Claude Monet was brilliant at painting water and his Water lilies at Giverny collection is an absolutely stunning example of this. The paintings (they are numerous) were done at his private garden in Giverny, France, and depict various sense of the lily pond there. When you look at the paintings up close they appear simply as smudges of color; however, when you step back you see a beautiful pond. By using such loose brush strokes and abundant color Monet captures the life and spirit of water so profoundly. And while it doesn’t appear as a photographic representation of water it feels like water.

Monet: Water Lilies (1914)

Monet: Water Lilies (The Clouds) (1903)

I also enjoy the pleasant subject matter of Impressionism. Its focus on moments and enjoyable activities makes it easier to understand and relaxing. One of my favorite pieces of Impressionist art that exemplifies this is Renoir’s Dance at Bougival (1883 presumably in Bougival, France). This is such a contrast to previous art styles which tended to focus on more serious and dramatic subject matter such as religious doctrine and classical history, and utilized symbolisms frequently, as for example in Botticelli’s Primavera (1480/82 Florence).

Renoir: Dance at Bougival (1883)

Botticelli: Primavera (1480/82)

I tend to link Romanticism and Impressionism in my mind because of the expression of light in the nature paintings and the moment captured within in them as well. For example, look at Thomas Cole’s View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836 USA) and Monet’s Sunset at Lavacourt (1880, France) side by side. Although the techniques used in the two are very different, both emphasize a moment in natural phenomena and use light variation to emphasize it.

Thomas Cole: View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836)

Monet: Sunset at Lavacourt (1880)

Ultimately I like Impressionism, although I don’t necessarily favor it above other artistic styles.