Impressionism                       

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The Impressionist were radicals in their time, early impressionists broke the picture-making rules of earlier generations. They captured a fresh and original vision that seemed strange and unfinished to their viewing public. Rejecting attempts to portray ideal beauty, the impressionists looked instead to beauty in candid day-to-day living. They painted "en plein air" (outdoors) rather than in a studio as was the custom, capturing the momentary and transient aspects of sunlight.

Impressionist paintings feature short, "broken" brush strokes of pure, untinted and unmixed pigments that give an appearance of spontaneity and vitality. The surfaces of the paintings are often textured with thick paint, a characteristic setting them apart from their predecessors in which smooth blending minimized the perception that one is looking at paint on canvas. Compositions are simplified and innovative, and the emphasis is on overall effect rather than upon details.