Impressionism was about capturing the emotion of a scene in an impression-like painting, using color. The name was actually coined when a group of artists showcased their modern work. Among them was Claude Monet. A critic remarked that his painting, "Impression, Sunrise" (shown on right), did not look like a painting. Instead, he said, it looked like a sketch.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) painted many famous paintings, all characterized by their sweeping brushstrokes and hazy images. He is one of the founders of impressionism. As a child, his mother supported his painting work, but his father did not. Despite his father's wishes, he did become a painter. He painted portraits and plein air, or open air, paintings. He wasn't very rich, but he was fairly successful as a painter. He joined the "Societe Anonyme des Artistes, Paintres, Sculptures, Graveurs," or the Anonymous Society of Artists, Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers, and with them showcased "Impression, Sunrise." The second painting, titled "Water Lilies," is also his. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was another impressionist artist. He painted ballerinas, often going to the Palais Garnier Opera House to observe them. He liked to capture the natural movement as they practiced. However, in his thirties, his eyesight began to fail. When he finally could not see well enough to paint, he turned to sculpture, which he could feel. He created a very famous sculpture titled "The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years." He said, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." Degas came from a background of musicians, and was supported in his journey to become an artist. After being rejected by an "old-fashioned" art group, he joined the Societe Anonyme, the same one with which Monet showcased "Impression, Sunrise." The third image is a painting he made of dancers, and the fourth is his sculpture. |