Impressionism Art Movement

Impressionism is a movement in art developed in France in the late 19th century by a group of artists who rejected traditional principles and practices taught.

Impressionists learned alternative brush-strokes and the use of color to represent an intellectual idea of a subject. Building on the use of more brilliant color, wider tonal range and broke brushwork permitted a more authentic play of natural light on objects. This new role of light and color as organic elements of painting natural scenes was to question academic theories of composition, drawing and the hierarchy of subjects. To capture the momentary and transient aspects of light he Impressionist chooses to paint outdoors rather than in a studio environment.

Mary Cassatt was a woman among a hand full of male Impressionists who were at the forefront of the Impressionism movement. She was and American painter known for her bold compositions and fine detail in scenes of mother and child in day-to-day living. A mix of strong lines and soft palettes characterizes Mary Cassatt’s work. Some of her best-known paintings are The Morning Toilet (1886), The Bath (1891), The Boating Party (1894), and Mother Feeding A Child (1898).

Every woman’s life is an Impressionism painting because of the beauty (brilliant color), trials and tribulations (wide tonal range and broken brush-strokes) she experiences during her lifetime.

To see Ladies of Leisure III by Olivia Maxweller click on image:
 Ladies of Leisure III by Olivia Maxweller, 22x30