Our selection of Impressionist Paintings

The pictorial trend of Impressionism painting was born in Paris in the late 19th century. Strokes became more free, lines less precise, colors were matched and mixed in small strokes and juxtaposed to form a new impression on the canvas. This revolution, known as Impressionism, is one of the most important movements in the history of art.

Although the emergence of such freedom in painting led spirits to become heated at the time, the movement has never ceased to inspire artists since its inception. 

Renowned Impressionist Paintings and Artists

Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, Edouard Degas and Berthe Morisot were key figures in terms of Impressionist painting.

These painters aimed to break the ideals established for so many years by the Academy of Art. They chose, unlike the proponents of the Academy, to leave their studios to paint the everyday and industrial life of their contemporaries (La Gare Saint-Lazare, Bain à la Grenouillère), prioritizing color over lines. 

Opting most often for small formats for their Impressionist paintings, these artists fled their stifling studios and travelled down country roads or strolled through the streets of Paris (Bal du Moulin de la Galette, Auguste Renoir; Music in the Tuilleries, by Manet) seeking inspiration to depict a real landscape in Impressionist landscape paintings. In doing so, they set up in the heart of nature and dedicated themselves to capturing the moment and movement of their subjects, depicting them on canvas with a multitude of bright and colorful brushstrokes.

The History of Impressionist Paintings

In the late 19th century, the Academy of Art held a tight rein on the art world. Deemed too pompous and rigid by many young painters with a thirst for the new and fantastical, they decided to become resistance fighters, creating their own salon. This became the Salon des Refusés, named in reference to the Impressionist paintings refused entry to the Grand Salon de Paris.

The salon was a huge success in its first year, even if most visitors came primarily out of curiosity and a thirst for scandal. The salon notably exhibited Manet’s famous impressionist work Luncheon on the Grass, which had caused quite a stir at the time.

Being able to continue to exhibit became an absolute necessity for these young Impressionist painters. After the Salon des Refusés, they found a new exhibition space in 1874, thanks to the help of the photographer Nadar, who leant them his studio. It was another resounding success! The critics nonetheless remained just as virulent, despite the numbers flocking to the movement. It was also one of these critics, Louis Leroy, who - mocking Monet's impressionist painting Impression, Sunrise in the satirical newspaper Le Charivari - inadvertently gave the movement its name.