1. Impressionism was a 19th century art movement that originated in Paris in the 1870s-1880s. Artists used short, thick brushstrokes of unblended color applied side-by-side to capture light and color rather than details.
2. Key characteristics included emphasizing the play of natural light, using pure colors rather than black for shadows, and painting outdoors (en plein air) to represent reflections on surfaces.
3. Founding members like Monet, Degas, and others broke from the Salon and Royal Academy and held independent exhibitions, though their unfinished style was initially panned