impressionism
English meaning: Impressionism
English Definition
(English)Impressionism broke with academic painting's emphasis on precise draughtsmanship and historical subjects. Impressionists painted outdoors (en plein air) to capture fleeting light conditions, using visible brushstrokes, pure colours applied side-by-side, and everyday modern subjects. The name came mockingly from Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise' (1872). It revolutionised how artists conceived their task.
English Definition
A 19th-century art movement originating in France that emphasised capturing transient effects of light and atmosphere through loose brushwork and broken colour, rather than precise detail. Key figures: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, and Berthe Morisot.
Example
“Monet's series of paintings of Rouen Cathedral at different times of day epitomise Impressionism — the subject is light itself, not stone.”
In English: “Monet's Cathedral series shows Impressionism's core goal: capturing light's transient effects rather than fixed reality.”
Synonyms
- plein-air painting
- post-academic painting
Antonyms / Opposites
- realism
- academic painting
- expressionism
Literary Heritage
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
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