IMPRESSIONISM

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects.  Impressionist motto - human eye is a marvelous instrument. Impact worldwide was lasting and huge. The name 'Impressionists' came as artists embraced the nickname a conservative critic used to ridicule the whole movement. Impressionist fascination with light and movement was at the core of their art. Exposure to light and/or movement was enough to create a justifiable and fit artistic subject out of literally anything. Impressionists learned how to transcribe directly their visual sensations of nature, unconcerned with the actual depiction of physical objects in front of them. Two ideas of Impressionists are expressed here. One is that a quickly painted oil sketch most accurately records a landscape's general appearance. The second idea that art benefits from a naïve vision untainted by intellectual preconceptions was a part of both the naturalist and the realist traditions, from which their work evolved. 
TECNIQUES

• Short, thick strokes of paint are used to quickly capture the essence of the subject, rather than its details. The paint is often applied impasto.

• Colours are applied side-by-side with as little mixing as possible, creating a vibrant surface. The optical mixing of colours occurs in the eye of the viewer.

• Grays and dark tones are produced by mixing complementary colours. In pure Impressionism the use of black paint is avoided.

• Wet paint is placed into wet paint without waiting for successive applications to dry, producing softer edges and an intermingling of colour.

• Painting during evening to get effets de soir—the shadowy effects of the light in the evening or twilight.

• Impressionist paintings do not exploit the transparency of thin paint films (glazes) which earlier artists manipulated carefully to produce effects. The surface of an Impressionist painting is typically opaque.

• The play of natural light is emphasized. Close attention is paid to the reflection of colours from object to object. 

 MAIN IMPRESSIONISTS
Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870)
Gustave Caillebotte  (1848–1894)
Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)
Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)
Edgar Degas  (1834–1917)
Armand Guillaumin (1841–1927)
Édouard Manet  (1832–1883)