Impression, soleil levant - a work by Claude Monet and probably one of the most historically relevant pieces of contemporary art that has ever existed: "Impression - I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape." Words from the scathing review of one Louis Leroy in a publication called Le Charivari which was published under the satirical title "The Exhibition of the Impressionists"; words that awarded this epoch in history its name, the Impressionist movement.
Of course, a part of fully understanding impressionism and its history relies on looking at exactly what impressionism is not. This can be most clearly seen its preceding period in history where good art was considered portraits and works of historical or religious significance that mirrored reality when carefully scrutinized. Colours in these kinds of works remained sombre and the techniques employed denied any personal emotional statement by the artist. These were the basic principles upon which the Académie des Beaux-Arts judged works submitted to their annual Salon de Paris art show.
It was also according to these "rules" that Le déjeuner sur l'herbe by édouard Manet was rejected due to the fact that it portrayed a nude woman in a contemporary setting. This and the fact that so many other works were rejected elicited a fierce reaction among Parisian artists. In 1863 emperor Napoleon III declared that the public judge these works for themselves in Salon des Refusés which eventually drew a bigger crowd than the Salon de Paris. This resulted in artists petitions demanding a new Salon des Refusés which were refused and led to the establishment of the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs in 1873. Members of this society were required to recant all participation in the Salon.
In April 1874 thirty members of the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs exhibited their works in the studio of photographer Nadar. The reaction on this exhibition was mixed and included the review by Louis Leroy.
So this, naturally, leaves us only to examine that which is seen as impressionism. Among the more common topics of impressionist works, we see still life paintings of landscapes and contemporary scenes. This technique involves the use of usually bright colours to depict the essence of an object or scene rather than the detail and also focuses establishing the effect of natural light on objects. In contrast to works immediately prior to impressionism, a common theme among artists is to express a freedom and openness in their work through short thick strokes and a variety of lighter colors.