Impressionism

The Impressionists developed a new way of seeing. They celebrated light and its effects, seeking to capture pure visual sensation. Turning away from the weighty subjects and dark, glossy hues of their contemporaries, they brought their easels out of doors and painted landscapes drenched in dazzling sunlight or shrouded in mist or twilight, nudes at the seashore, streets bedecked with flags, couples dancing. Their technical means—delicate pastel shades, brilliant color juxtapositions, and, later, Pointillism, were derided at first by critics accustomed to Classical and Romantic works, but Impressionism has now become the most beloved and sought after of all an styles. No history of modern art could be written without reference to its revolutionary impact.