Impressionism was a 19th century art movement that depicted the interaction between objective descriptions of the exterior world and the artists' subjective responses to what they saw and felt. Key works discussed include paintings by Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, and Cézanne that show scenes of everyday life and focus on capturing fleeting moments. The document contrasts Impressionism with Realism and notes they differ in Impressionism focusing on a single moment while Realism depicts subjects as they appear in everyday life.

1. IMPRESSIONISM
ST EFAN I E D EAN E

2. Impressionism:
• 19th century art movement (from the
1870s and 1880s).
• Interaction between objective
descriptions of the exterior world and
the artists’ subjective responses.
• Depicts what the artists saw and felt.

3. Claude Monet, Impression: Sunrise, 1872. Oil on canvas, 1’ 7 ½’’ x 2’
1 ½’’. Musee Marmottan, Paris.

4. Edgar Degas, Ballet Rehearsal, 1874. Oil on canvas, 1’11’’ x 2’ 9’’.
Glasgow Art Galleries and Museum, Glasgow (The Burrell Collection).

5. Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889. Oil on canvas, approx. 2’ 5’’ x 3’ ¼’’.
Museum of Modern Art, New York (acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss
Bequest).

6. Claude Monet, Saint-Lazare
Train Station, 1877. Oil on
canvas, 2’ 5 ¾’’ x 3’ 5’’. Musee
d’Orsay, Paris.
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris: A
Rainy Day, 1877. Oil on
canvas, approx. 6’ 9’’ x 9’9’’.
The Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, Worcester Fund.

7. Edouard Manet, A Bar at the
Folies-Bergere, 1882. Oil on
canvas, approx. 3’ 1’’ x 4’ 3’’.
Courtauld Institue of Art
Gallery, London.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Le
Moulin de la Galette, 1876. Oil
on canvas, approx. 4’ 3’’ x 5’
8’’. Musee d’Orsay, Paris.

8. Paul Cezanne, Mont
Sainte-Victoire, 1902-
1904. Oil on canvas, 2’ 3
½’’ x 2’ 11 ¼’’.
Philadelphia Museum of
Art, Philadelphia (The
George W. Elkins
Collection).
* Starry Night and Mont Sainte-Victoire are considered to be Post-
Impressionist paintings; they included the use of geometric/distorted
forms and bolder colors.

9. Realism:
Gustave Courbet, The
Stone Breakers, 1849. Oil
on canvas, 5’ 3’’ x 8’ 6’’.
Formerly at Gmalde-
galarie, Dresden
(destroyed in 1945).
Jean-Francois Millet, The
Gleaners, 1857. Oil on canvas,
approx, 2’ 9’’ x 3’ 8’’. Louvre,
Paris.

10. Question for the Class:
What is the difference between
Impressionism and Realism?
Answer: Impressionism focuses on a single
moment (what the artist saw and felt); Realism
focuses on the depiction of subjects as they
appear in everyday life.