Art Movements Archives - Art History With Alder

The 5 Impressionism Art Characteristics

Impression, Sunrise painting by Claude Monet — *Impression, Sunrise* by Claude Monet (credited for the naming of the Impressionism art movement)

What is it about the Impressionism art movement that makes it one of the most influential and popular movements? The characteristics of Impressionism art were new, exciting, and radical. In many ways, the art was rebellious from classical art prior to Impressionism.

In this article I outline five of the main Impressionism art characteristics that will not only help you understand this art on a deeper level but also help you easily identify Impressionism art when you see it:

Quick, loose brush strokes
Bright paintings
“En plein air” (Painting Outside)
Relative color
Clearer picture from further away

5 Impressionism Art Characteristics

Quick, loose brush strokes

The first characteristic is the quick, loose brush strokes. This is probably the most commonly talked about and easily recognized of the Impressionism art characteristics. When you zoom in on an Impressionist piece, you can see the artist’s hand with individual, small, and loose brush strokes. This is because the artist often doesn’t have a lot of time to complete these images, which I’ll explain in the third characteristic.

Close-up of Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son painting by Claude Monet — Close-up of *Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son* by Claude Monet

The focus of Impressionist artworks is not on the fine details. Instead, Impressionists are trying to capture a moment – an “impression”. And in so doing, they move quickly, without much detail, as the artist’s hand moves across the canvas with quick brush strokes. This is why you can often see individual strands of the paintbrush being used in an Impressionist piece.

Bright paintings

The second of the five Impressionism art characteristics I want to focus on is the brightness of the paintings from this movement. Now, colors and brightness differed by artist and different times during the movement, but in general you’ll see a lot of brightness in Impressionism art.

To really understand why this was groundbreaking at the time, let’s jump back in art history. The art movement prior to Impressionism was Realism. The artists during Realism typically used blacks, grays, and browns, which resulted in darker, more earthbound paintings. Also, you can look back to the Baroque period. Baroque art is full of darker tones. In fact, a lot of Baroque artists painted a dark brown or black “ground” color on their canvas. This was the primer that they painted on their canvas before painting the rest of the painting on top of this dark brown or black.

(See an analysis of Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ for an example of Baroque art.)

Painting of The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne by Alfred Sisley (1872) to show the bright colors of Impressionism art. — *The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne* by Alfred Sisley (1872)

Instead, Impressionist artists used light “ground” colors or even unprimed canvases. In addition, they used hues from the light spectrum in their paintings – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Finally, they didn’t blend their colors on the canvas. They would often paint complementary colors next to each other to give the painting a more vibrant, alive feeling.

So, using hues from the light spectrum on this light “ground” and not blending the colors, but often painting complementary colors next to each other, created colorful, bright, vibrant paintings.

“En plein air” (outdoors painting)

Painting of Claud Monet painting "en plein air" — *Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood* by John Singer Sargent (1885)

The third Impressionism art characteristic is called “en plein air”, which refers to painting outdoors. Paintings prior to Impressionism were usually completed in some sort of studio. Studios were controlled environments, often with models and apprentices involved.

Impressionists decided to take their canvases outside, which was unheard of at the time. The Impressionists wanted to capture a moment in time and the feeling or “impression” of that moment. In order to do so, they needed to be on-scene. So, they painted “en plein air”, meaning out in the open. Therefore, you get a lot of landscapes and outdoors scenes from Impressionism.

Relative color

The fourth characteristic of Impressionism art is the use of relative color. This is the opposite of “local color”. The term “local color” refers to the color an object would naturally appear in neutral, white light. Another way to think of “local color” is the colors that we typically attribute to things – grass is green, snow is white, the sky is blue.

Impressionist artists didn’t like to use “local color”. In capturing the moment they were painting, they captured objects and colors as they saw them. The artists wanted to depict objects in the light that they saw at certain times of day or in certain environments. So, these objects didn’t necessarily have the colors you would naturally attribute to them, but what they looked like as the Impressionists were painting “en plein air”. Water could be purple. Grass could be blue. A mountain range orange. This is called “relative color”.

Clearer picture from further away

Finally, one of my favorite Impressionism art characteristics is how the paintings become clearer the further away you are physically from the canvas. The closer you view Impressionism art, the less clear the painting becomes and the more chaotic it gets. As you get close to the canvas, you see the artist’s hand in every individual brush stroke and glob of paint. But the painting lacks detail. As you move further away from the painting, the scene, the emotion, and the details become clearer.

The Artist’s Garden in Giverny painting by Claude Monet (Zoomed in) — *The Artist’s Garden in Giverny* by Claude Monet (Zoomed in)

I think this is a great connection with how people typically experience the world as we age. As we get older, we tend to realize how chaotic and messy life is. Yet, somehow, the entire messy picture makes more sense.

The Artist’s Garden in Giverny painting by Claude Monet — *The Artist’s Garden in Giverny* by Claude Monet (1900)

Viewing Impressionism art in person

I love the way Impressionist paintings make me feel. The idea of capturing a moment in time before it disappears and having it last forever is beautiful. We will never see the most beautiful second of that sunset from last weekend again. But maybe we can capture that impression with a painting.

I also love the experience of seeing Impressionist art in real life. The ability to get close and see the artist’s hand and paint brush at work and then step back as everything comes together is amazing. It’s a wonderful experience.

Understanding the Impressionism art characteristics covered in this article will help you better understand the art from this movement. You should also be able to easily identify an Impressionist piece the next time you see one. Look for these five characteristics and see if you notice any others.

To see how the Impressionism movement fits within art history, you can download this condensed western art history timeline. You can also check out these art history movements and periods videos to dive in deeper to each movement or period.

Neoclassical Art Period – Summary and Characteristics

The Neoclassical art period reached its height in the late 18th and early 19th century. Born in Rome, the movement spread throughout Europe and the United States. It was a return to ancient Greek and Roman art characteristics and ideals. Therefore, Neoclassical art portrayed the ideas of simplicity, reason, order, virtue and civilized society.

This article covers four important things that led to the Neoclassical art period. And in addition, the main characteristics of the art during this time.

How did the Neoclassical art period start?

There are four main things that led to the Neoclassical art movement:

A pushback on the Baroque and Rococo art movements
Writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann
Excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy
The 18th century Age of Enlightenment

1. Neoclassicism – A pushback on Baroque and Rococo

The two preceding art movements to Neoclassicism are Baroque and Rococo. The Baroque art movement lasted approximately 150 years from 1600 to 1750. It was full of drama, emotion, and tension.

Next, the Rococo or Late Baroque art movement started in the early 1700s and lasted until the mid-to-late 1700s. Rococo built was similar to Baroque, but was more fun and frivolous. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Rococo turned its attention away from the church and Christian themes. The art became more hedonistic in a way.

The Neoclassical art movement follows Baroque and Rococo in the late 1700s. In many ways, it was a push back to the gaudy, frivolous, and over-the-top nature of these previous movements. In fact, some of the leading figures of Neoclassicism fought against the leaders of Rococo and the French aristocracy. So, Neoclassicism art shows a stark contrast to the preceding art. It was full of simplicity, reason, and a return to order and virtue.

2. Writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann

You can’t talk about the Neoclassical art movement without mentioning the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann. He was a German art historian and archaeologist. In fact, many people believe he was the father of art history. As an art historian myself, thanks for getting us started Wincklemann!

His writings from the mid-1700s were a deep dive into the ideals of Roman and Greek art. Winckelmann believed that art should aim for “noble simplicity and calm grandeur”. And that the only way for us to become great is to imitate the ancients. These writings had a huge impact on our return to Greek and Roman ideals, especially in art.

3. Excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum

In the mid 1730s and 40s, the real excavations of the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum began. These excavations included the discovery of Roman art and architecture, which revived the study of Greek and Roman art. In fact, Rome was a major stop for The Grand Tour – a traditional trip taken by European upper-class men once they reach the age of 21. This stop on The Grand Tour helped spread Neoclassicism from Rome to other parts of Europe

4. The 18th century Age of Enlightenment

Finally, the Neoclassical art period coincided with the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. This philosophical movement valued science and reason. It was a main driver of the Industrial Revolution. The ideals of individual liberty, religious tolerance, and constitutional governments were pushed. Therefore, Neoclassical artists were inspired by these ideas. They portrayed art that was civilized, reasonable, and contributed to a more orderly society.

Neoclassical art period characteristics

With the background of these four things that led up to the Neoclassical movement, it’s a little bit easier to understand the art and architecture styles of this period. As well as everything else already mentioned, the characteristics of art during this time were serious, symmetrical, orderly, virtuous, and heroic. The art often depicted characteristics from classical history, as well as political, philosophical, and religious leaders who were important to the time. The architecture became more simple and less ornate than Baroque and Rococo architecture.

Oath of the Horatii - A Neoclassical art classic — *Oath of the Horatii*, David (1784)

Although some may find Neoclassical art boring, I think you can find a lot of beauty in the classic nature of the Roman and Greek art characteristics. Even though there is generally less drama and emotion, some Neoclassical artists were able to bring the intensity and drama into their painting. Although it was in a more simple fashion. I love Jacques Louis David’s paintings during the apex of Neoclassicism. (Dive into Oath of the Horatii with me, and you’ll see!) . David was considered the leader of the movement in France. His art was simple, yet dramatic and captivating. Much of his artwork eventually turned into propaganda, but his craft was incredible and impacted many students who would go on to produce great art.

If you want to see how Neoclassicism fits into the larger timeline of art history, make sure you watch my Western Art History Timeline video. You can also download my Condensed Western Art History Timeline.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps Painting – Its Place in Art History

Picture of Napoleon Crossing the Alps YouTube video thumbnail — View on YouTube – “Napoleon Crossing the Alps Painting | Details and History”

Napoleon Crossing the Alps is a famous painting finished in 1801 by French artist Jacques-Louis David. The painting was commissioned by the king of Spain and was a token to show the new and improved relationship between Spain and France. Jacques-Louis David and Napoleon Crossing the Alps were tied to the Neoclassical art movement, which I’ll cover in this article.

The Story of Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Image of the Napoleon Crossing the Alps painting — *Napoleon Crossing the Alps* by Jacques-Louis David (1801)

Napoleon rose through the ranks of the military during the French revolution. By the year 1799, he became First Consul in France. Then, five short years after that he would become the first Emperor of France.

In this painting, we see Napoleon (as First Consul) leading The Reserve Army across this dangerous mountain pass called Saint Bernard. They were on a military campaign to regain Italy in the year 1800. It’s debated whether Napoleon actually led the army through this mountain pass, or came through later. Nevertheless, of course Jacques-Louis David depicted Napoleon as the triumphant leader.

The Idealization of Napoleon

The artist depicts Napoleon as a glorious victor with arm outstretched and hand in the shape of a blessing sign. He is seated upon a wild, yet majestic horse. This pose mirrors a typical Roman equestrian statue, which is really important to Napoleon because he likes to connect himself with the great leaders of The Holy Roman Empire. In addition, Napoleon looks like the calm within the storm. He’s surrounded by seemingly unnavigable territory – huge cliffs, wild terrain, and harsh weather. But he looks powerful with his windswept hair and his intense gaze.

Overall, Napoleon Crossing the Alps is a very idealized painting. In other words, Napoleon is meant to look perfect. This is fitting because it’s been said that Napoleon had a big ego. This guy didn’t want anybody to seem more powerful than him. In fact, at his coronation he took the crown out of the pope’s hand and crowned himself. Napoleon wanted to make clear who had more power. At the bottom of this painting you can see some names etched into stone. These are the names of powerful men Napoleon is following – Hannibal, Charlemagne, and look who’s at the very top – Bonaparte Napoleon himself.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps and Neoclassicism

Napoleon Crossing the Alps is a great example of the Neoclassical art style. This art style pulls from the roots of Greek and Roman art. Napoleon really wanted to align himself with this style because he wanted to connect himself with the great leaders of the Roman empire and their values and ideas. This is why he often commissioned Jacques-Louis David to do his paintings.

Jacques-Louis David was a leader in the Neoclassical art movement. In fact, some people call him the father of the movement. During the French revolution he was working for the revolutionists and headed the propaganda department. As the lead artist, his job was to sway people politically through his images, and he was really good at his job. This is when Neoclassicism was born, which was a stark contrast to the Rococo art movement that came before.

Neoclassical Art characteristics

This painting shows a lot of typical Neoclassical art characteristics. Remember, Neoclassicism is a shift back to Greek and Roman art. So, you’re going to see a lot of similarities.

The first characteristic of Neoclassical art to notice is the tight brush strokes. These are clean and crisp. Second, the colors used are earthy and natural. Third, the dynamic posing draws your eye right to the center of the piece, which is Napoleon and very Neoclassical and Romanesque. There are also strong diagonal lines, which gives motion, action, and tension to the piece. Napoleon is dressed in military regalia with soldiers surrounding him. These strong civic vibes, pride of country and of protecting people, and a calling to arms by a strong leader who can fight for your country is all Neoclassical.

Napoleon and Propaganda

In the end, this painting and many of Jacques-Louis David’s paintings were straight up propaganda. Napoleon was depicted exactly as he wanted. He is portrayed as the perfect leader for a fallen country. A man perfect to be titled the next emperor of France, Europe, and the world.

To see how Napoleon Crossing the Alps and the Neoclassical art movement fit within art history, download this condensed Western Art history Timeline.

Understanding The Rococo Art Movement

Key pieces of the Rococo Art Movement included The Swing by Fragonard and Embarkation for Cythera by Watteau

The Rococo Art Movement was all about flamboyance, wealth, fun, and romance. During this time, the rich were attempting to answer the question – how do you live a happy life? And the art shows they had just a little fun in testing out this answer. To get the full picture, let’s dive into all the details of the movement.

What Inspired the Rococo Art Movement

The Rococo Art Movement was inspired by 3 things:

Baroque Art Movement
Aristocracy replacing the monarchy in France
Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture

How Baroque influenced Rococo

Baroque (1600’s) followed the Renaissance (1400-1500’s). The Renaissance is a tough period to follow (how do you follow perfection?!). But Baroque art added in more drama when compared to Renaissance art. This included more diagonals, painterly brush strokes, contrasting light and dark, and more movement in the art.

This Baroque art style paved the way for the Rococo Art Movement. You can start to see the two styles blend together in architecture. As an example, the Church of Vierzehnheiligen in Germany has both Baroque and Rococo aspects. A lot of the architectural characteristics in this building come from Baroque. But then you see pastel colors and more organic features that exemplify Rococo.

In general, the Baroque art style had a big influence on Rococo art. As you study Rococo, you’ll see a lot of Baroque style layered into Rococo characteristics.

The Church of Vierzehnheiligen in Germany shows both Baroque and Rococo characteristics. — Church of Vierzehnheiligen, in Germany. Construction began in 1720.

Aristocracy replacing the monarchy

King Louis XIV was a flamboyant, dominant monarch that fit what the Rococo movement came to be known as – wealthy people having fun. But it wasn’t until his death in 1715 that there was an important shift from the monarchy to the aristocracy. The monarchy actually left Versailles, and the aristocracy gained a lot of political and economic power. During this time, a small percentage of the population owned 90% of the wealth in France. This laid the grounds for the Rococo Art Movement.

With lots a leisure time, people turned their attention to personal affairs and worldly pleasures. A culture of luxury and excess became prevalent in France. And that’s when the shift from Baroque to Rococo can really be seen.

Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in France

The Baroque art style and the rise of aristocracy in France created the perfect soil for the Rococo Art Movement. Finally, if there was a catalyst of the movement that you can point to, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and key decisions that were made within the academy, might have been that catalyst.

The Royal Academy was a prestigious art school that was difficult to get into. In the late 1600s and into the 1700s, the Academy created exhibitions for artists to display their art work. These exhibitions were a place to exchange and talk about art, literature, politics, and science. They were the birthplace of the art museum. And the perfect place for the aristocracy. Now the church and the monarchy weren’t the only ones controlling art, but the aristocracy was playing a major role in art movements.

In 1717, The Royal Academy accepted Jean-Antoine Watteau’s art piece, Pilgrimage to Cythera. This decision was huge at the time, because they couldn’t fit the piece into their hierarchy of categories. So, they created a brand new category – Fete galante. Fete Galante was a type of outdoor entertainment for rich people. It basically meant rich people doing rich things. (You’re kidding right? No, no I’m not). And so, this decision really ushered in the Rococo Art Movement.

The Rise and Fall Rococo

Birthed in France’s fertile soil of aristocracy and The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the Rococo Art movement spread throughout Europe. Rococo’s themes of flamboyance, wealth, and fun had less religious themes than previous periods. The art depicted wealthy people doing wealthy things (fete galante), and enjoying plenty of romantic escapades. (For more on that, just study The Swing by Fragonard.)

But Rococo didn’t last very long. Following Rococo was Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment. This was a time for showing moral behavior. During these movements following Rococo, humans were at their most noble behavior, truly concerned about the human condition. So with all their fun, maybe they didn’t find how to live a happy life after all?