Definition
Impressionism is considered as the first vanguard movement of Occidental art history; it opens modernity in art. Its starting point is a group of artists who had in common a rejection of academic art. They organized eight collective exhibitions between 1874 and 1886. Most of the artists only took part in some of these exhibitions, like Cézanne. The painters considered as more “typically” impressionist are above all Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro.
Overview
The term “impressionist” was coined by a critic as a nickname in order to criticize the movement, as he was struck by a painting presented by Monet in the first 1874 collective exhibition and entitled Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise). The novelty of Impressionism is twofold. First, it has to do with the subject matter, often taken from everyday life (train stations, boulevards, scenes of leisure, etc.), corresponding so to Baudelaire’s conception of modernity. And second, it is...
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References
Monet, C.: Letter to Charteris (June 21, 1926), quoted by Rewald, J.: The History of Impressionism, 4th edn. Museum of Modern Art, New York (1973)
Nochlin, L.: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism 1874–1904. Sources and Documents. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1966)
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von Helmholtz, H.: Handbuch der physiologischen Optik. Leopold Voss, Leipzig (1867)
Baudelaire, C.: Oeuvres complètes II. Gallimard, Paris (1976)
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Renoir, P.-A.: Écrits, entretiens et lettres sur l’art. Éditions de l’Amateur, Paris (2002)
Chevreul, M.-E.: De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs… Pitois-Levrault, Paris (1839). The latest English translation is: The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors and their Applications to the Arts (1855). Kessinger Publishing LLC, Whitefish (2009)
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Roque, G. (2015). Impressionism. In: Luo, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_246-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_246-6
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Impressionism- Published:
- 18 July 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_246-7
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Impressionism- Published:
- 12 August 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_246-6