The Impressionists
Impressionism can be considered the first modern art movement. It began in Paris during the 19th century by a handful of painters including Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Frederic Bazille. The Impressionists rebelled against the common views that paintings should have realistic depictions. Instead, they aimed to capture a momentary sensory experience of a scene. They tried to capture the effects of light and colour.
“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment”- Claude Monet.
Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), 1872
The name for this painting was given by a critic who called it merely an impression of a sunrise. The Impressionists used this insult as the name for their movement.
The Japanese Bridge by Claude Monet (1896)
Monet was fascinated with how the light effected a scenery. He would paint the same scene at different times of the day to show off the effects of lighting. Above is depiction of Monet’s Haystacks Series.
Click on the above picture for access to a great mini-series about the impressionists.
Classroom Activity- Showcasing impressionistic works could lead to a great unit on teaching students about colour. Like Monet, students can be encouraged to go outside and paint the colours that they see around them. The teacher could inspire students to focus on the colours with out worrying about accurate represention or fine details.
References
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-impressionism.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eBah6c5kyA – BBC Documentary on the Impressionists
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/claude_monet.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism