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The Case for Impressionism

The Art Assignment

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Impressionism is one of the best known and loved movements in Art History, but why? We present a case for why Impressionism is interesting and worth your attention and admiration, beyond the famous names behind it of Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissaro, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, et al.
#impressionism #art #arthistory

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20 Comments

@afroceltduck 6 years ago

Looking at an impressionist painting is like looking at a dream.

You brought up something that somehow never occurred to me: that these artists were depicting contemporary life. It all looks old to us here in 2019, but back then it must have seemed startling to see 'new' stuff when paintings were generally about ancient history or biblical stories.

@JoaoPessoa86 6 years ago

I love that Renoir's retort to criticism that he only painted "pretty" paintings basically boiled down to "So? What's wrong with that?"

@chillinJohnny 4 years ago

It might just be the prettiest art movement in history

@Atlantis11698 6 years ago

I’d love to see the Case for Fashion 👗

@katwernery6505 6 years ago

My 11 year old autistic, nonverbal son loves the impressionists! He loves them and wants to paint like them!
We went to the art museum today because he wanted to go!!

@cyujia21 6 years ago

"But the best case for Impressionism is the art itself. In a museum filled with the dark and dramatic art that preceded it, and the often confounding art that follows, Impressionism is really... pleasant."
The whole video was great but this comment in particular resonates - I like to collect postcards of art pieces that I have enjoyed or that I particularly remember from museums, and have discovered that those I have put on my wall are principally impressionist, and this is perhaps why. The whole idea of capturing the ephemeral in a way that highlights beauty in very simple things - living in a space surrounded by art like that is pleasant indeed.

@PaulaJoW 6 years ago

Impressionism is thrilling - the lack of strict lines, the representation of everyday life, and THE COLOURS!

@jonaslundholm 6 years ago

I really like the idea that the success of Impressionism has to do with the fact that is was the first art movement with a distinct name which the contemporaries could be either fir or against.

@zainabsalman7041 6 years ago

Being a homeschooled, self-taught student of art, The Art Assignment has been a wonderful source of learning for me. I have learned so much about not just art theory and art history from here, but also about the attitude and perspective it takes to study art. Thanks a lot, Sarah. :)

@thinker2273 6 years ago (edited)

"I painted so many landscapes that the shapes of the land began to loose their meaning. And the shapes broke apart to me, so I painted them like that."

EDIT: A quote by Jermaine in the Adventure Time episode "Abstract."

@Bmarker299 6 years ago

Utterly delightful Presenter. Can’t get enough of this charismatic and unpretentious presenter

@rasmusn.e.m1064 6 years ago (edited)

I know this might sound brusque, but impressionist paintings I like very much because they look like the world I see without glasses. A reminder that everything that looks clearly delineated and controlled is and can never truly be so. I take comfort in this fact that the ship of Theseus never really existed until Theseus bought it and never really got replaced until we thought it might.

I hope this makes sense to someone plus me instead of someone including me. xD

@DaemonAsaric 6 years ago

impressionism is realism, with freedom.

@alfredomarquez1916 6 years ago

Impressionism isn't dead. Will never stop being vital.

@yesrelationthesequel 6 years ago

impressionism is one of my favorite art forms as they beautifully articulate something singular about human memory in relation to the world and nature around them that is unlike most other forms.

@KevinRusso 6 years ago

Impressionism is about light and form. Impressionism goes to the emotional heart of a matter.

@EricMyungjinChung 6 years ago

I wish my Art History class was composed this well! So beautifully executed! :D

@stormRed 6 years ago

This weirdly reminds me of the Oscars, in that they're supposed to reward great art in cinema, and yet pick contestants based on arbitrary criteria such as Oscar bait. The same way these paintings were being refused simply because they don't involve Greek characters. I think that says a lot about the culture of Art.

@LtNduati 6 years ago

I started watching this channel because I liked the idea of Art. I wanted to feel more learned and like I could get to know what I was supposed to look at, or rather for. I found my favorite artist and now also style. With this video it finally clicked. Impressionism is what I always thought was capital 'A' "Art", and thanks to this video I have found what I was looking for. I can't describe it, but I feel it now 😊

@jeka8826 6 years ago

Thank you for reminding me why I love impressionism in my own photography. I don't want to show what it LOOKED like, but what it FELT like. So much of that feeling is just the light and color.