Famous impressionists and their paintings. Modern impressionism in painting

Impressionism first emerged in France towards the end XIX century. Before the emergence of this movement, still lifes, portraits and even landscapes were mainly painted by artists in studios. Impressionist paintings were often created using outdoors, and their plots became real fleeting scenes from modern life. And although impressionism was initially criticized, it soon attracted many followers and initiated similar movements in music and literature.

Famous French Impressionist Artists

It is not surprising that one of the most famous destinations visual arts Impressionism in painting became precisely what it was: artists who worked in this style left behind canvases of amazing beauty, light, like a breath of fresh air, full of light and colors. Many of these beautiful works written by the following masters of impressionism, whom every self-respecting connoisseur of world painting knows.

Edouard Manet

Despite the fact that the entire work of Edouard Manet cannot be placed only within the framework of impressionism, the painter largely influenced the emergence of this movement, and other French artists working in this style considered him the founder of impressionism and their ideological inspirer. good friends The masters were other famous French impressionists: Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir, as well as an impressionist artist with a similar surname, which baffles newcomers to the world of painting - Claude Monet.

After meeting these artists, impressionistic changes took place in Manet’s work: he began to prefer working in the open air, light, bright colors, an abundance of light and fractional composition began to predominate in his paintings. Although he still does not refuse dark colors, and prefers painting in landscapes everyday genre- this can be seen in the painter’s works “Bar at the Folies Bergere”, “Music in the Tuileries”, “Breakfast on the Grass”, “At Father Lathuile’s”, “Argenteuil” and others.

Claude Monet

Name of this French artist Probably everyone has heard it at least once in their life. Claude Monet was one of the founders of impressionism, and it was his painting “Impression: Rising Sun"gave its name to this movement.

In the 60s of the 19th century, the impressionist artist was one of the first to become interested in painting on fresh air, and many later created a new experimental approach to work. It consisted in observing and depicting the same object in different time days: this is how a whole series of canvases was created with a view of the façade of the Rouen Cathedral, opposite which the artist even settled so as not to lose sight of the building.

When exploring impressionism in painting, don't miss Monet's Field of Poppies at Argenteuil, Walk to the Cliff at Pourville, Women in the Garden, Lady with an Umbrella, Boulevard des Capucines, and the Watermen series. lilies."

Pierre Auguste Renoir

This impressionist artist had a unique vision of beauty, which made Renoir one of the most famous representatives this direction. First of all, he is famous for his paintings of noisy Parisian life and leisure at the end of the 19th century. Renoir was excellent at working with color and chiaroscuro; his exceptional ability to paint nudes, with a unique rendering of tones and textures, is especially noted.

Already starting in the 80s, the impressionist artist began to lean more towards the classical style of painting and became interested in Renaissance painting, which forced him to include sharper lines and clearer composition in his mature works. It was during this period that Pierre Auguste Renoir created some of the most imperishable works of his era.

Pay special attention to such paintings by Renoir as “The Luncheon of the Rowers”, “Ball at the Moulin de la Galette”, “Dance in the Village”, “Umbrellas”, “Dance at Bougival”, “Girls at the Piano”.

Edgar Degas

In the history of art, Edgar Degas remained as an impressionist artist, although he himself rejected this label, preferring to call himself more of an independent artist. Indeed, he had a certain interest in realism, which distinguished the artist from other impressionists, but at the same time he used many impressionist techniques in his work, in particular, he “played” with light in the same way and was fond of depicting scenes from city life.

Degas was always attracted by the human figure; he often depicted singers, dancers, and laundresses, trying to portray human body in different positions, for example, on canvases " Dance class", "Rehearsal", "Concert at the Ambassador Cafe", "Opera Orchestra", "Dancers in Blue".

Camille Pissarro

Pissarro was the only artist who took part in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886. While Impressionist paintings are known for their scenes of urban and country holidays, Pissarro's paintings show the viewer the daily life of French peasants, depicting rural nature in different conditions and under different lighting conditions.

When getting acquainted with the paintings that this impressionist artist painted, first of all it is worth seeing the works “Boulevard Montmartre at Night”, “The Harvest at Eragny”, “The Reapers Resting”, “The Garden at Pontoise” and “Entering the Village of Voisin”.

It is believed that art has no boundaries. Nevertheless, people have decided to divide the works of artists into genres, which can be quite easy to get confused, because the boundaries of styles are arbitrary. Today we'll talk about one of the main trends in painting - impressionism.

The emergence of impressionism

Impressionism as an art genre originated in France in the 1870s. The origin of this style was the creation of the painting by C. Monet “Impression. Sunrise” (1872). One journalist called the artist an impressionist, but with a negative meaning. But this was soon forgotten, and the picture gave birth to a new genre.

In 1874, impressionist artists held their first separate exhibition. The paintings exhibited there were criticized for their lack of meaning, looseness and poor depiction. However, the artists did not stop and continued to organize such events, declaring their art.

Impressionism was a purely French phenomenon. Artists from other countries were able to adopt some features, but not to the fullest extent.

It was the impressionists who were the first to move away from generally accepted standards and templates of academic writing, thereby giving a huge impetus to the development artistic arts. They deeply researched colors and new writing techniques, which ultimately led us to the diversity we have today.

It should be noted that impressionism had a serious influence and inspired with its novelty representatives of other fields of art: sculpture, music and literature.

What do impressionist paintings tell us?

Impressionism focuses on the image and the impression it gives to the viewer. Impressionist paintings most often depict ordinary scenes from life: city ​​bustle or landscapes. Their works give viewers those fleeting impressions that the painters themselves experienced. Impressionism does not notice problems or negativity, it shows exclusively positive sides life.

Mostly in the paintings you can see such scenes as picnics, boating, dancing, tea parties, outdoor fun and other joys of life. Impressionists most often depicted people in paintings not frozen, but moving, playing, laughing. The paintings allow us to plunge into the living reality of past centuries, to see what kind of environment surrounded people XIX century.

Features of impressionist paintings

The talent of reflecting an instant first impression on a canvas is main feature all artists. They always created from life, without any sketches, capturing and conveying general mood. Impressionist paintings do not carry deep meaning or hidden content, they depict everyday life, but they do it not simply, but masterfully. When looking at such paintings, the viewer immediately appears certain thought or an emotion that remains for some time after viewing.

The impressionists developed a special style of writing. The paintings they painted are most often distinguished by fuzzy lines and individual strokes. The fact is that they conveyed all the colors standard set colors, skillfully placing strokes. In their works they paid great attention to the play of light and shadows, trying to create contrast. Indicative in this regard is the painting by O. Renoir “The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette” (1876).

Great Impressionists of the Past

Since the creation of the movement, there have been many artists who have worked in the style of impressionism, but very few can be called truly great. Thus, the most famous impressionist artists are C. Monet, O. Renoir, A. Sisley and C. Pissarro. In general, impressionism as a movement was especially popular in late XIX centuries, it was then that true masters created.

This served as a beginning, an inspiration for others no less famous artists- W. van Gogh, P. Cezanne, P. Gauguin. These artists became the founders of post-impressionism, which made its goal the rejection of image real life, transition to the image of its basics.

Modern Impressionists

Do not think that the direction ceased to exist after its heyday. There are still artists who choose impressionism for their work.

The paintings of modern impressionists evoke no less admiration than the paintings of the past. Today, many masters create in this genre, but time will tell which of them is most worthy of this title. However, there are several artists whose paintings are positioned as impressionist paintings. Photos of their work are presented below.

Take, for example, an artist named Kent R. Wallis. His canvases are distinguished by bright, rich colors, with which he creates magnificent landscapes.

Also fascinating are the paintings of the artist I.J. Paprocki (E.J. Paprocki).

In his paintings, flowers, leaves and other small elements are done very realistically, while the rest of the background is done with brush strokes. This allows him to convey the beauty of detail and at the same time the general first impressions characteristic of impressionism.

European art of the late 19th century was enriched by the emergence of modernism. Its influence later spread to music and literature. It was called “impressionism” because it was based on the artist’s subtlest impressions, images and moods.

Origins and history

Several young artists formed a group in the second half of the 19th century. They had a common goal and the same interests. The main thing for this company was to work in nature, without workshop walls and various limiting factors. In their paintings they sought to convey all the sensuality, the impression of the play of light and shadow. Landscapes and portraits reflected the unity of the soul with the Universe, with the surrounding world. Their paintings are true poetry of colors.

In 1874, an exhibition of this group of artists was held. Landscape by Claude Monet “Impression. Sunrise” caught the eye of the critic, who in his review for the first time called these creators impressionists (from the French impression - “impression”).

The prerequisites for the birth of the style of impressionism, the paintings of whose representatives would soon become incredible success, steel works of the Renaissance. The work of the Spaniards Velazquez, El Greco, the English Turner, Constable unconditionally influenced the French, who were the founders of impressionism.

Prominent representatives of the style in France were Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Sisley, Cézanne, Monet, Renoir and others.

Philosophy of impressionism in painting

The artists who painted in this style did not set themselves the task of attracting public attention to troubles. In their works one cannot find subjects on the topic of the day; one cannot receive a moral lesson or notice human contradictions.

Paintings in the impressionist style are aimed at conveying a momentary mood, developing color schemes of a mysterious nature. There is only room for a positive beginning in the works; gloominess avoided the impressionists.

In fact, the impressionists did not bother themselves with thinking through the plot and details. The most important factor was not what to draw, but how to depict and convey your mood.

Painting technique

The difference between the academic style of drawing and the technique of the impressionists is colossal. They simply abandoned many methods, and changed some beyond recognition. Here are the innovations they introduced:

1. We abandoned the circuit. It was replaced with strokes - small and contrasting.
2. We stopped using palettes for colors that complement each other and do not require merging to achieve a certain effect. For example, yellow is purple.
3. Stopped painting in black.
4. They completely abandoned work in workshops. They painted exclusively on location, to make it easier to capture a moment, an image, a feeling.
5. Only paints with good covering power were used.
6. We didn’t wait for the new layer to dry. Fresh strokes were applied immediately.
7. They created cycles of works to follow changes in light and shadow. For example, “Haystacks” by Claude Monet.

Of course, not all artists followed the exact features of the Impressionist style. Paintings by Édouard Manet, for example, never participated in joint exhibitions, and he positioned himself as a separate standing artist. Edgar Degas worked only in workshops, but this did not harm the quality of his works.

Representatives of French Impressionism

The first exhibition of Impressionist works dates back to 1874. 12 years later, their last exhibition took place. The first work in this style can be called “Luncheon on the Grass” by E. Manet. This painting was presented in the “Salon of the Rejected”. It was met with hostility because it was very different from the academic canons. That is why Manet becomes a figure around whom a circle of followers of this stylistic movement gathers.

Unfortunately, contemporaries did not appreciate such a style as impressionism. Paintings and artists existed in disagreement with official art.

Gradually, Claude Monet came to the fore in the group of painters, who would later become their leader and the main ideologist of impressionism.

Claude Monet (1840—1926)

The work of this artist can be described as a hymn to impressionism. It was he who was the first to abandon the use of black in his paintings, citing the fact that even shadows and night have different tones.

The world in Monet’s paintings is unclear outlines, spacious strokes, looking at which you can feel the whole spectrum of the play of colors of day and night, seasons, and the harmony of the sublunary world. Just a moment that was snatched from the flow of life, in Monet’s understanding, is impressionism. His paintings seem to have no materiality; they are all saturated with rays of light and air currents.

were created by Claude Monet amazing work: “Gare Saint-Lazare”, “Rouen Cathedral”, the “Charing Cross Bridge” series and many others.

Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Renoir's creations create the impression of extraordinary lightness, airiness, and ethereality. The plot was born as if by chance, but it is known that the artist carefully thought through all stages of his work and worked from morning to night.

A distinctive feature of O. Renoir's work is the use of glaze, which is only possible when painting. Impressionism in the artist's works is manifested in every stroke. He perceives a person as a particle of nature itself, which is why there are so many paintings with nudes.

Renoir's favorite pastime was depicting a woman in all her attractive and attractive beauty. Portraits occupy special place V creative life artist. “Umbrellas”, “Girl with a Fan”, “Breakfast of the Rowers” ​​are only a small part of the amazing collection of paintings by Auguste Renoir.

Georges Seurat (1859-1891)

Seurat associated the process of creating paintings with the scientific substantiation of color theory. The light-air environment was drawn based on the dependence of the main and additional tones.

Despite the fact that J. Seurat is a representative of the final stage of impressionism, and his technique is in many ways different from the founders, he, in the same way, creates with the help of strokes an illusory representation of an object form, which can be viewed and seen only from a distance.

The paintings “Sunday Afternoon”, “Cancan”, “Models” can be called masterpieces of creativity.

Representatives of Russian impressionism

Russian impressionism arose almost spontaneously, mixing many phenomena and methods. However, the basis, like the French, was a natural vision of the process.

In Russian impressionism, although the features of the French were preserved, the peculiarities of national nature and state of mind made significant changes. For example, visions of snow or northern landscapes were expressed using unusual techniques.

In Russia, few artists worked in the impressionist style; their paintings still attract attention to this day.

The impressionistic period can be distinguished in the work of Valentin Serov. His "Girl with Peaches" - the clearest example and the standard of this style in Russia.

The paintings captivate with their freshness and harmony of pure colors. The main topic The work of this artist is the image of a person in nature. “Northern Idyll”, “In a Boat”, “Fedor Chaliapin” are bright milestones in K. Korovin’s work.

Impressionism in modern times

Currently, this direction in art has received new life. IN this style several artists paint their own paintings. Modern impressionism exists in Russia (Andre Cohn), in France (Laurent Parselier), in America (Diana Leonard).

Andre Cohn is the most a prominent representative new impressionism. His oil paintings are striking in their simplicity. The artist sees beauty in everyday things. The creator interprets many objects through the prism of movement.

The whole world knows Laurent Parselier's watercolor works. His series of works Strange world"was released in the form of postcards. Magnificent, vibrant and sensual, they will take your breath away.

As in the 19th century, in currently artists remain plein air painting. Thanks to her, impressionism will live forever. artists continue to be inspired, impressed and encouraged.

Impressionism is often considered precisely as a movement in painting that originated in the 19th century in France. Impressionism brought a double revolution, which is simultaneously reflected in the vision of the world and painting technique. He shows the painting as moving, ephemeral, elusive, focusing on the passing moment in the present tense. In addition, impressionism is characterized by light, touch, and color vibration.

Prominent representatives modern impressionism in painting many, but in this publication we will focus on four artists - Andre Kohn (Russia), Laurent Parcelier (France), Diane Leonard and Karen Tarlton (USA)- each of whom has a unique technique in painting.

Andre Kohn- comes from Volgograd, Russian Federation. From the age of 15 he began to seriously study painting under the guidance of Natalia Gavrichenko and Anatoly Vrubel. Since the artist deserved high praise in oil painting from his Western colleagues, he migrated to America. On this moment lives with his family in Phoenix. The artist’s paintings are in corporate, museum and private collections in Europe, Canada, USA, Japan, Australia and Russia.

Andre Cohn is a recognized leader in the field of modern impressionism. With a mature and fresh imaginative style, he always creates the extraordinary out of the ordinary. The artist's objects are interpreted through the poetry of movement. In the American arena, the impressionist Andre Kohn is considered one of the most interesting figures.

Modern French impressionism in painting Laurent Parcelier

Laurent Parcelier- watercolor maestro, contemporary French impressionist. Characteristic of Porcellier's work is the clean and bright manner of conveying the places where the artist himself visited. the artist shines with light, brightness, impression. The author's strokes and tones are unique to him alone.

Contemporary American impressionism in painting Diane Leonard

Contemporary impressionist artist Karen Tarlton

Karen is a current expert in impressionist palette knife painting. He often paints landscapes and portraits. Currently lives and works in Manhattan Beach, California.

Impressionism is a movement in painting that originated in France in XIX-XX centuries, which is artistic attempt to capture some moment of life in all its variability and mobility. Impressionist paintings are like a well-washed photograph, reviving in fantasy the continuation of the story seen. In this article we will look at the 10 most famous impressionists peace. Fortunately, talented artists much more than ten, twenty or even a hundred, so let's focus on those names that you absolutely need to know.

In order not to offend either the artists or their admirers, the list is given in Russian alphabetical order.

1. Alfred Sisley

This French painter English origin considered the most famous landscape painter second half of the 19th century century. His collection contains more than 900 paintings, of which the most famous are “Rural Alley”, “Frost in Louveciennes”, “Bridge in Argenteuil”, “Early Snow in Louveciennes”, “Lawns in Spring”, and many others.

2. Van Gogh

Known around the world sad story about his ear (by the way, he did not cut off his entire ear, but only the lobe), Wang Gon became popular only after his death. And during his life he was able to sell one single painting, 4 months before his death. They say he was both an entrepreneur and a priest, but often ended up in psychiatric hospitals due to depression, so all the rebellion of his existence resulted in legendary works.

3. Camille Pissarro

Pissarro was born on the island of St. Thomas, into a family of bourgeois Jews, and was one of the few impressionists whose parents encouraged his passion and soon sent him to Paris to study. Most of all, the artist liked nature, he depicted it in all colors, and to be more precise, Pissarro had a special talent for selecting the softness of colors, compatibility, after which air seemed to appear in the paintings.

4. Claude Monet

Since childhood, the boy decided that he would become an artist, despite family prohibitions. Having moved to Paris on his own, Claude Monet plunged into the gray everyday life of a hard life: two years of service in the armed forces in Algeria, litigation with creditors due to poverty and illness. However, one gets the feeling that the difficulties did not oppress, but, on the contrary, inspired the artist to create such bright pictures, like “Impression, Sunrise”, “Houses of Parliament in London”, “Bridge to Europe”, “Autumn in Argenteuil”, “On the Shores of Trouville”, and many others.

5. Konstantin Korovin

It's nice to know that among the French, the parents of impressionism, we can proudly place our compatriot, Konstantin Korovin. A passionate love for nature helped him intuitively give unimaginable liveliness to a static picture, thanks to the connection suitable colors, width of strokes, choice of theme. It is impossible to pass by his paintings “Pier in Gurzuf”, “Fish, Wine and Fruit”, “ Autumn landscape», « Moonlight night. Winter" and a series of his works dedicated to Paris.

6. Paul Gauguin

Until the age of 26, Paul Gauguin did not even think about painting. He was an entrepreneur and had a large family. However, when I first saw the paintings of Camille Pissarro, I decided that I would definitely start painting. Over time, the artist’s style changed, but the most famous impressionistic paintings are “Garden in the Snow”, “At the Cliff”, “On the Beach in Dieppe”, “Nude”, “Palm Trees in Martinique” and others.

7. Paul Cezanne

Cezanne, unlike most of his colleagues, became famous during his lifetime. He managed to organize his own exhibition and earn considerable income from it. People knew a lot about his paintings - he, like no one else, learned to combine the play of light and shadow, placed a strong emphasis on regular and irregular geometric shapes, the severity of the themes of his paintings was in harmony with romance.

8. Pierre Auguste Renoir

Until the age of 20, Renoir worked as a fan decorator for his older brother, and only then moved to Paris, where he met Monet, Basil and Sisley. This acquaintance helped him in the future to take the path of impressionism and become famous on it. Renoir is known as the author of sentimental portraits, among his most outstanding works are “On the Terrace”, “A Walk”, “Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary”, “The Lodge”, “Alfred Sisley and His Wife”, “On the Swing”, “Splash Pool” and a lot others.

9. Edgar Degas

If you haven't heard of Blue Dancers, Ballet Rehearsal, Ballet school" and "Absinthe" - hurry up to learn about the work of Edgar Degas. The selection of original colors, unique themes for paintings, a sense of movement of the picture - all this and much more made Degas one of the most famous artists peace.

10. Edouard Manet

Don't confuse Manet with Monet - they are two different people, who worked at the same time and in the same artistic direction. Manet was always attracted to scenes of everyday life, unusual appearances and types, as if accidentally “caught” moments, subsequently captured for centuries. Among famous paintings Manet: “Olympia”, “Luncheon on the Grass”, “Bar at the Folies Bergere”, “The Flutist”, “Nana” and others.

If you have even the slightest opportunity to see the paintings of these masters live, you will forever fall in love with impressionism!

Alexandra Skripkina,