Impressionism is an art movement that emerged in France from the 1860s to the 1890s. Its core lies in breaking through the realistic framework of traditional painting and pioneering modern art by capturing the visual impressions of fleeting light, shadow and color. The following is an analysis of its uniqueness from dimensions such as techniques, themes, colors, and brushstrokes.
First, a revolutionary expression of light and shadow
Capture of instantaneous light and shadow
Core concept:
Impressionist painters emphasized “momentary impressions” rather than precise depictions of details. For instance, Monet’s “Rouen Cathedral” series showcases the color differences of the same building at dawn and dusk, noon, and in the rain through the variations of light at different times.
Technical means:
Outdoor sketching (En Plein Air) : Painting directly under natural light to quickly record the changes in light (for example, Renoir often sketched in the suburbs of Paris to capture the texture of people’s skin in the sunlight).
Time slice: Multiple works of the same scene (such as Monet’s “Haystack” series), documenting the trajectory of light and shadow flowing over time.
The scientific application of light and color
Optical principle
Based on Chevreul’s color contrast theory, it emphasizes the visual enhancement of complementary colors placed side by side (such as green shadows represented by red dots to enhance the three-dimensional effect).
Practical case:
In Pissarro’s “Rue Montmartre”, the shadows of the buildings under the sunlight are juxtaposed with the yellow walls by purple dots, creating a strong sense of light.
Monet’s “Water Lilies” series expresses the quivering of light through the interweaving of cold and warm colors reflected on the water surface.
Second, the independence and subjectivity of color
The physical independence of color
Technique breakthrough:
Traditional painting relies on physical color mixing (such as red + yellow = orange), while Impressionism uses the juxtaposition of solid color dots or short brushstrokes, and employs visual mixing by the human eye (such as Seurat’s pointillism technique).
Effect:
The colors are brighter (for example, in Sisley’s landscape paintings, the blue of the sky is not mixed with white but directly uses cobalt blue + ultramarine).
Shadows are no longer in black but in complementary colors (such as blue shadows represented by small orange dots).
The emotional expression of colors
Subjective color usage:
Colour is no longer faithful to reality but serves emotions and atmosphere. For instance, in Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”, the rotating yellow nebula forms a sharp contrast with the deep blue night sky, expressing the inner restlessness.
Symbolic meaning:
Green symbolizes life (such as the lush garden described by Renoir).
Purple symbolizes mystery (such as the purple light and shadow beneath the water in Monet’s “Water Lilies”).
Third, the liberation and dynamic sense of brushstrokes
Visualization of brushstrokes
Technical characteristics:
The brushstrokes no longer serve the shaping of the form but become independent visual elements. For instance, Degas’s Ballerina series uses loose and rapid brushstrokes to depict the dancing skirts and the flickering of light and shadow.
Effect:
Enhance the dynamic effect of the picture (such as the short strokes of the sea surface’s ripples and the blurred outline of the ship in Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise”).
Express the texture of substances (such as Renoir’s use of thick brushstrokes to depict the softness of characters’ skin).
The correspondence between the brushstrokes and the theme
Natural scene
Use loose brushstrokes to represent natural phenomena such as wind, rain and fog (for example, in Pissarro’s rain scene paintings, the tilted brushstrokes simulate raindrops).
Character Updates:
Capture the momentary posture with fragmented brushstrokes (such as in Degas’ “The Dancer on the Stage”, where the blurred face contrasts with the clear leg lines).
Fourth, the popularization and daily nature of the theme
Dissolve grand narratives
Subject matter shift:
Abandon traditional themes such as history and religion, and focus on modern life scenes (such as coffee shops, racetracks, and picnics in the suburbs).
Representative works:
Manet’s “Lunch on the Grass” challenges the academic aesthetic with the combination of a naked woman and a man in modern clothing.
Renoir’s “The Ball at the Pancake Mill” depicts the entertainment life of the Parisian middle class.
Poetry in the Ordinary
The sublimation of daily scenes
Through light, shadow and color, ordinary scenes are transformed into art (for example, in Monet’s “Woman with an Umbrella”, the ordinary suburban scenery becomes poetic because of light and shadow).
Social Observation
Some works imply reflections on industrialization and urbanization (for instance, in Pissarro’s “Boulevard Montmartre”, the interweaving of crowds and trams suggests the hustle and bustle of modern life).
Fifth, the planarization of composition and space
Dissolve traditional perspective
Technique and means:
By juxtaposing color blocks with the direction of brushstrokes, the sense of three-dimensional space is weakened. For example, in Sisley’s landscape paintings, the horizon is blurred, and the sky and the ground blend through color transitions.
Effect:
The picture is closer to a decorative plane (for example, in Seurat’s “Sunday Afternoon at La Grande Bowl”, figures and trees are presented in geometric color blocks).
The subjectivity of composition
Asymmetric layout
Breaking traditional rules such as the golden ratio, it emphasizes visual balance (for example, in Degas’s “Ballet Rehearsal”, characters are scattered in the picture and the line of sight is guided by light and shadow).
Cropped composition
Imitate the framing method of photography (such as the partial capture of steam and light and shadow in Monet’s “Train Station” series).
Sixth, the profound influence on later art
Innovation at the technical level
Color theory
It has promoted the development of modern color theory (such as post-Impressionism, Fauvism and Expressionism, all of which were inspired by it).
Liberation of brushstrokes
It laid the foundation for the brushwork experiments of Abstract expressionism (such as Pollock).
A breakthrough at the conceptual level
Art Democratization
Shifting art from noble salons to public exhibitions (such as the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874), challenging the authority of the academic school.
Subjectivity takes priority
Emphasizing the personal feelings of artists rather than objective representation has initiated the trend of “self-expression” in modern art.
Seventh, Summary
The characteristics of Impressionist hand-painted oil paintings can be summarized as:
The immediacy of light and shadow: By juxtaposing outdoor sketching with colors, capture the flow of light.
The independence of color: Create a visual blend with solid color dots or short strokes, breaking free from the constraints of physical color mixing.
The dynamicization of brushstrokes: Brushstrokes become the carriers of emotions and movements rather than appendages of forms.
The popularization of themes: Focusing on modern life, dissolving grand narratives, and endowing daily life with poetry.
The planarization of space: By dissolving traditional perspective through color blocks and brushstrokes, the decorative effect of the picture is emphasized.
Its core value lies in transforming art from “reproducing nature” to “expressing feelings”, opening up a path for the diversified development of modern art.