Impressionism

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette

Johan Barthold Jongkind: The Seine and Notre-Dame de Paris

Théodore Rousseau: Under the Birches, Evening

Édouard Manet: Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass)

The thumbnail image shows a smiling woman in a beret in front of two Impressionist paintings.

For Students

Impressionism summary

Read Next

Be Transported by These 5 Claude Monet Paintings

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Art texture. Close-up of yellow abstract painting. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society

10 Modernist Art Movements

Aerial view of Florence (Firenze), Italy from the campanile of the Duomo, with the gigantic dome (designed by Filippo Brunelleschi) in the foreground. Unidentifiable tourists are visible on top of the dome, which provide a measure of the building s scale.

25 Famous Paintings to See the Next Time You’re in Florence

Painting palette with oil paints and brushes. Rainbow colored paints, arts and entertainment

Art History: The Origins of 7 of Your Favorite Art Supplies

Discover

Coriander leaves, fresh green cilantro on wooden background, herbs

Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?

What's the Difference Between a Solstice and an Equinox?

Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and autodidact.

6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan

A mug shot taken by the regional Colombia control agency in Medellin

Pablo Escobar: 8 Interesting Facts About the King of Cocaine

Scottish fold cat. A genetic mutation caused (in the original cat-1961) the ears to bend forward and down.

Shorthair Cat Breeds

Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)

The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Impressionism

art

Also known as: Impressionnisme

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

French:: Impressionnisme

Date:: c. 1867 - c. 1886

Related Artists:: Edgar Degas; Paul Cézanne; Claude Monet; Camille Pissarro; Honoré Daumier

On the Web:: Harn Museum of Art - American Music and Impressionism (PDF) (Dec. 18, 2024)

See all related content

Impressionism, a broad term used to describe the work produced in the late 19th century, especially between about 1867 and 1886, by a group of artists who shared a set of related approaches and techniques. The founding Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, and Berthe Morisot. Other significant Impressionists, including Gustave Caillebotte, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat, joined the group later. Although these artists had stylistic differences, they had a shared interest in accurately and objectively recording contemporary life and the transient effects of light and color. These concerns may seem ...(100 of 1230 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.