Explore Impressionism

Impressionism is a movement that developed in France in the mid-19th century. Its seminal practitioners, like Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Berthe Morisot, broke the mode of painting at the time by employing small, visible brush strokes, a loose or open composition, and keen attention to accurately depicting light.

The term was coined—initially as an insult—by critic Louis Leroy after seeing the work “Impression, Sunrise” (1872) by Claude Monet at the First Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in April 1874.