Enjoy impressionism!

 

 

Enjoy the beauty of

Impressionism

extended website with 6000+ pictures and 600+ pages

The beauty of Impressionism:
Impressionism is known for it’s bright, vibrant colours and it’s purple shades. Key-Impressionists like Monet, Pissarro and Sisley depicted the fleeting effect of sunlight on their landscapes. Renoir and Morisot depicted their portraits with a lively brushstroke and a kaleidoscope of colours.
On this extended website on Impressionism you will find all kinds of information on the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions and on the 57 partakers. You will find the distinction between Impressionism as a painting style and ‘impressionism’ as an art-movement. You will also find the locations where the ‘impressionists’ did paint and the themes they depicted. You will find information on the world surrounding the ‘impressionists’ (Meta-Impressionism), other expositions and related artists (Para-Impressionists).

 

What is new?
This extended website on Impressionism renders more than 6000 pictures and more than 600 pages (with accounted information). It is continiously improved and extended (see blog). Here you will find the latest important extension:

1875/03/24, 150 years ago, there was an auction held at Hôtel Drouot called ‘Tableaux et aquarelles par Cl. Monet, B. Morisot, A. Renoir, A. Sisley‘. Initiated by Renoir the Impressionists tried their luck and offered 73 works for sale. Much later in 1904 Renoir called this sale ‘a disaster’ and in 1922 the art-dealer Durand-Ruel called it a ‘fiasco, with many paintings fetching little more than the price of their (superb) frames’. (R460,p118;R1,p354). But, is this true?
Even if we subtract the works they (indirectly) bought back, the results were more than a years wages (which was somewhere between 1.000 and 2.000fr a year). The average price of 158,90 franc per art-work is comparatively low, but not dramaticly low.
This auction clearly wasn’t a great success, but to present it as an example of the hardships and the opposition the Impressionists had to endure, seems a bit exaggerated, thus feeding the myths on Impressionism. Just like the art-critic Philippe Burty did in the preface of the catalogue, presenting Monet, Morisot, Renoir and Sisley as ‘a group of artists systematically excluded from the Salon.’
But, what works did they show at this auction? On the page on this auction you can create a slideshow presenting 65 (partly uncertain) suggestions for the 73 art-works that were presented. Enjoy!

 

What was new?
Here you will find the second last important extension:

Emile Bernard (1868-1941) started to paint in an impressionist and later neo-impressionist style (around 1885-86). In 1887 he followed Anquetin in using Cloisonism. In the late summer of 1888 he developped together with Gauguin Synthetism. Both they belonged to the School of Pont-Aven, after the village in Brittany where several  artists dwelled. They would be an inspiration for Les Nabis who were formed in 1888.
We see a fast development after the last ‘impressionist’ exposition in 1886. This also emerged in alternative exhitions: in 1889 at Volpini, Expositions des peintres Impressionnistes et Symbolistes (1891-97) and the Salon de la Rose+Croix (1892-97).
Bernard himself wrote about this development towards Symbolism: ‘Because an idea consists of things collected by the imagination, a painter should not paint the object in front of him, but should seek to recapture it in the mental image he has collected, for the memory does not retain everything, only what is striking.’ He also wrote that he intended to render ’the invisible sense hidden beneath the mute external form’.

 

All about the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions:
On this website you will find all sorts of information on the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions held from 1874 – 1886 in Paris. These group expositions were independant of the Salon de Paris and were comparatively small. Camille Pissarro was the only partaker that joined all 8 expositions. Just 3 partakers joined 7 expositions: Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot and also Henri Rouart, who is now quite forgotten.
The menu page, in the top menu, renders links to 66! pages with extended information and many pictures. You will find slideshows that give an almost complete impression of the about 2053 art-works that were exhibited. You will find info on the (many unknown) partakers (see also the left or bottom menu). You will also find links to the used techniques, the 8 catalogues and background information.

 

What art-works were shown at the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions? 
On this website you will find 8 pages on which you can create unique slideshows of the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions. In about 20 minutes you will receive an overall impression of each of the 8 expositions. On the pages itself you will find additional information.
Ruth Berson (1996) renders 842 small black and white pictures of art-works that were (quite) surely exhibited (R90II). Of the other art-works it is mostly unclear which were exhibited (see identification of paintings). Still, I will render as much as possible suggestions* for the about 2053 art-works that were exhibited. Many suggestions will stay very uncertain or are just to compare. But, in this way you will find a more complete impression of the art-works that were exhibited in Paris from 1874-1886.
See also the video on this quest on my YouTube channel “enjoy.Impressionism“.
Note*: the given suggestions are continuously improved.

 

What techniques were used?
Most sources on Impressionism just render some famous oil paintings. The centennial exposition ’the new painting’ in 1986 was devoted principally to paintings (R2,p23). But many other techniques / media were used. See the links for overviews of the exhibited aquarelles, pastels, drawings, engravings, sculptures and fans. And also of works made with mixed techniques, with other techniques and works that can be classified as applied art. You can also find overviews of the used techniques per year: 1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882 and 1886.

 

Who were the 57 partaking ‘impressionists’?
‘The best tribute one can pay to the memory of a talented artist is to make his work known.‘
F. C. de Syène (1879/05/01) (R90I,p243)

There were 56 partakers mentioned in the catalogues of the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions. It is known that in 1874 Comtesse de Luchaire and in 1886 Comtesse de Rambure also exhibited outside the catalogue (=hc). This makes 56+2hc=58 partakers. But probably Comtesse de Rambure exhibited in 1876 and 1877 under the pseudonym Jacques François. So in total there were 56 + 2hc -1 = 57 partakers. In the left (or bottom) menu  you will find short biographies of all these artists and in the sub-menus exhibited art-works, overviews and accounts.

Most sources on Impressionism only inform about the well known artists. Some art-critics called other partakers incapable amateur-painters or retarded Salon-painters (R90I,p19;R87,p270). Moffett, who selected and organised the 1986 centennial exposition, calls the works of Attendu, Béliard, Bureau, Cals, Colin, Cordey, Debras, Forain, Guillaumin, Lamy, Latouche, Lebourg, Lepic, Levert, Meyer, de Molins, Mulot-Durivage, Auguste and Léon Ottin, Raffaëlli, Léopold Robert, Somm, Tillot, Vidal, Vignon and others ‘inferior’ (R2,p22). Thus disqualifying 25 of the 57 partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions. But is this true? One goal of this website is to rehabilitate all these other partakers and to show as much pictures as possible of them, so that you can judge for yourself. See also the video on this quest on my YouTube channel “enjoy.Impressionism“.

 

What is Impressionism?
For a good understanding of Impressionism it is good firstly to see Impressionism as a painting style and discern it from ‘impressionism’ as a broader art-movement in France from about 1855-1900. The ‘impressionist’ expositions held from 1874-1886 in Paris were key events for this art-movement. But, when we look at the 57 partakers of these expositions we see that many didn’t paint in an impressionist painting style. Many can more be seen as Realists or as pre-impressionist landscapists. Edgar Degas, one of the most prominent organisers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions, didn’t want to be called an Impressionist. Many sources on Impressionism give ample attention to Edouard Manet. But he never joined the ‘impressionist’ expositions and only later used elements of the impressionist painting style. He played a part in this broader ‘impressionist’ art-movement, but merely is no Impressionist. See also myths on Impressionism.
A key question of this website is: were the 57 partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions from 1874-1886 impressionists? In the answers I will discern between Impressionism as a painting style and ‘impressionism’ as a broader art-movement. The answers on this question you will find in the left (or bottom) menu. More info on Impressionism you will find in the top menu and the sub-menus.

 

The Salon and other exhibitions:
A main caracteristic of the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions was, that they were independent of the Paris Salon. The Salon was a large, yearly exhibition in Paris. Without the Paris Salon it was hard to get yourself known as painter and to sell your pictures. Many sources on Impressionism suggest that the ‘impressionists’ were mostly rejected for the Salon and that they were opposed to it. But in reality the relationship of many Impressionists with the Salon was ambivalent. See also Myths on Impressionism.
Apart from the Salon and their own expositions the ‘impressionists’ could join other exhibitions. These possibilities increased namely since 1882.

 

Meta-Impressionism:
The ‘impressionists’ didn’t live on an island, so on this website on Impressionism you will also find short information about it’s surrounding world, which I call Meta-Impressionism. Here you will find info about the École des Beaux-Arts, earlier art-movements (like Neo-Classicism and Romanticism), art-dealers and other items. You will find info about the pre-impressionists who inspired the impressionist like the the Barbizon painters. There were artists who were active at the same time as the ‘impressionist’ and who used some elements of the impressionist painting style. Some were even invited to partake in the ‘impressionist’ expositions. I call these artists Para-Impressionists. It is interesting to see what were the similarities and the differences between them and the Impressionists. You will also find info on the Neo-Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists. All this info you will find in the top menu.

 

Sorted and accounted information and pictures:
The information on this website is accounted for and based on extended research since the summer of 2017. In the top menu in the sub menu of the home page you will find a ‘general account‘ with additional links. General reference to books are indicated as ‘R’, to internet sites as ‘iR’, to musea as ‘M’. It is recommended to first consult the page with practical hints and abbreviations and on the subscription of the pictures.
On this website you will find free, sorted information about Impressionism, the 8 ‘impressionist’ expositions and the ‘impressionist’ artists and the surrounding world (Meta-Impressionism). My mission is that this information and the beauty of these pictures are accessible for everyone in the world. Also for those who are not able to buy (several) books, go to museums and exhibitions and travel around the world to Paris or Washington.

 

What is interesting for me?
This is a large website with about 500 pages that is interesting for many people. Namely for people who are interested in Impressionism, especially in the ‘impressionist’ expositions and in the world around it. Most pages render a combination of information and pictures.
If you are mainly interested in pictures see the webpages indicated with a painting palette 🎨; here you can also create small slide shows.
There are also pages for people who are interested in more detailed information, such as thematical and/or topographical overviews and the accounts. On several pages you can find links to online catalogues of exhibitions and auctions. In the general references (=Rx) and the internet references (=iRx) you will also find links to online catalogues (raisonné) and books. These pages will be indicated with a magnifying glass 🔎. Most of these pages you will find in the sub-menus.
You can’t find all pages in the (sub)menus. But in the submenus of the top menu you can find pages with menus which link to other pages.

 

Please share pictures, information and reactions:
Many works of the (unknown) partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions are in private collections. Of these works there are often no pictures available or only of poor quality. If you have (better) pictures of these lesser known works, please share them with me. Of the unknown ‘impressionists’ there is also limited information available. Please share information, that is not (easy) to be found on the internet. I will use the pictures and information to complete this website. Please also share your reactions on this website. Maybe you notice some of the information is not correct or complete. Maybe you have remarks on the lay-out, the readability and workability of this website. Maybe you just want to share your reaction. For all these reactions you can use the email you will find in the general account. Thanks!

 

Future plans:
I have many ideas for the future to share more of the beauty of Impressionism:

 

Start enjoying !

Recommanded citation: “Enjoy (the beauty of) Impressionism: home page of an extended website. Last modified 2025/03/25. https://www.impressionism.nl/.”