Art has always been a controversial subject. Although it is supposed to be a domain for creativity and free expression art has always struggled to fight traditionalism and misconceptions. Impressionism is an artistic current that was developed in Paris during the 19th century. When it first appeared it caused a lot debates. Due to the fact that it had so little in common with traditional art impressionism was not very well received. However the founders of this artistic current did not give up and continued to expand their work. The current’s name came from a Claude Monet painting called Impression, Sunrise.
Monet was one of the most important impressionist artists. Although he was one of the founding fathers of this artistic current he rarely participated in exhibitions. However his life’s work consists of some of the most valuable impressionist works in the world. Along with other fellow artists such as Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot and Paul Cézanne he defined this artistic current. Although their styles were diverse, they shared a common dislike of traditional arts. Over 12 years they held eight exhibitions and tried to open the artistic world to new horizons.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir is a powerful name in the history of art. What differentiates him from other impressionist artists is his focus on the female body. Displayed in all its glory, the female body presented in his paintings blends with the surroundings and is beautified by freely brushed details. At a certain point he abandoned this painting style for a more disciplined technique inspired by the works of Raphael. However soon enough he returned to impressionism and continued to produce vibrant works of art until the end of his life. Amongst his most famous paintings are Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette and Girls at the Piano. However he is responsible for many more works of art that have influenced the history of art.
Edgar Degas started out as a realist and he continued to view himself that way for the rest of his life as he hated the term impressionism. Nevertheless he was one of the impressionist artists that had a great contribution to the current’s development. Aside from painting, his printmaking, drawing and sculpture forms a complex body of work that has added value to the art community. Although he was applauded for his paintings featuring war scenes, his desire to paint spontaneous scenes drove him to change his style and embrace the impressionist techniques.
These are but a few of the many more impressionist artists that have marked the artistic world. Starting from this style, other artists were able to further increase the world’s artistic horizons. Van Goth for example adopted a post impressionist style that featured more intense feelings expressed through searing brush strokes. Furthermore Paul Cezanne smoothed the transition between impressionism and cubism. All these amazing artists embellished the world with some of the most valuable artistic treasures.
