The Impressionist Movement: Artistic Innovation

The Impressionist Movement: Artistic Innovation Stylistically art began to revolutionize in becoming the Modernist work that we see, much like it is today, during what is known as Impressionism. Although painting still owed tradition to the Realism and Romantic eras, Impressionism encompassed painting in way that had never been seen before. Including vivid colors that allowed a single object to stand out and be glorified, most of the painting during this era depicted nature scenes. The ability to depict nature scenes was brought about partially by technology that had made it possible to adapt the artists’ studio to become portable. Because of this, the artists were able to depict nature at its best instead of transporting the ideas of nature indoors to paint them. There were many artists that were followers of this painting style during its existence during the 1870s and 1880s. Namely this includes artists that are well known such as, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Mary Cassatt. Pierre-Auguste Renoir displayed his following of the Impressionist movement in his works with the depiction of people doing everyday things, much like could be seen in Realism; however, he depicted them in nature instead of indoors. Specifically, this can be seen in his work known as Girl with a Hoop where an everyday girl was seen depicted outdoors with a stick and a hoop. As mentioned by The Collection, “Brushstrokes are tight and firm; they have a smoothness like that of the girl's skin itself.” (National Gallery of Art). This was a technique that came about during this era. Colors were separated and brushed differently to create an effect that the color was flowing. Claude Monet had a way of bringing out optical sensory with his works, much like Renoir with the dramatic brushstrokes. For example, his work Woman with a Parasol, depicts a woman holding an umbrella while standing on a hill. The brushstrokes make it look like the wind is blowing the landscape around