Impressionism and Industrialisation 19th Century
A revolutionary movement in its day, Impressionism later became a widely accepted and popular style of painting. Impressionism began in France in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. The Impressionists were a group of young painters who came together in Paris in the 1860s.
There were a lot changes taking place in France at this time due to the Industrial Revolution and the Impressionists felt that it was their duty to record and document the changing landscape. They were very interested in the effects of light on an environment. Advances in science also influenced the Impressionists' painting technique.
Style and technique
- Painted outdoors – plein air
- Paint was applied in small, visible brushstrokes – the mixing was done by the retina of the eye
- Black was not used as black does not exist in nature – tones of colour used instead
Key artists:
Claude Monet (1840-1926), Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat, 1874 (Image/Illustration)
Edgar Degas (1834-1917),The Dance Class, 1873-6 (Image/Illustration)
Pierre August Renoir (1841-1919), Bal du moulin de la Galette, 1876 (Image/Illustration)
Alfred Sisley (1839-99), The Banks of the Canal du Loing at Saint-Mammès, 1888 (Image/Illustration)
Neo-Impressionism
A painting style developed by Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) and Georges Seurat (1859-91), based on the colour theory of the scientist Chevreul. Rather than mixing colours on a palette these artists would apply tiny dots of pure pigment to the canvas in order to make secondary and tertiary colours in the minds eye. This laborious technique is often referred to as divisionism or pointillism.
Examples:
Georges Seurat, The Circus, 1891
Paul Signac, Lady on the Terrace, 1898
Post-Impressionism
The Post-Impressionists were not an organised group. They are merely a group of unrelated artists who continued on with the Impressionists’ style, either developing from it or reacting to it. Their subject matters were various.
Examples:
Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? 1897
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), Bedroom in Arles, 1888 and Self Portrait, 1889
Previous - French Realism 19th Century
Upload to this page
Add your photos, text, videos, etc. to this page.
Map Search
Content
Arts & Literature
- Irish Writers
- Art & Artists
- Art in Ireland
- Irish Artists
- James Barry (1741-1806)
- John Hogan (1800-1858)
- Daniel Maclise (1806-1870)
- Carlow Artists
- Dublin Silver
- Art in Europe
- Romanesque Architecture 11th & 12th Centuries
- Gothic Architecture 12th – 15th Centuries
- The Renaissance 15th & 16th Centuries
- Mannerism Late 16th Century
- Baroque 17th Century
- Dutch Golden Age 17th Century
- Rococo 18th Century
- Neoclassicism 18th & 19th Century
- Romanticism 19th Century
- French Realism 19th Century
- Impressionism and Industrialisation 19th Century
- Modernism and Modern Art Movements 19th & 20th Centuries
- Art and the War 20th Century
- Pop Art and Consumerism 21st Century
- Postmodernism 21st Century
- European Artists
- Art Elements and Design Principles
- Practising Art & Design
- Design & Craftwork
- Self Portraiture
- Irish Traditional Music
- The Virtual Museum
- Play Along - 100 Irish Traditional Tunes
