Who Founded the Impressionist Movement?

You may be wondering who founded the impressionist movement. This article focuses on Claude Monet, who developed the wet-on-wet technique, and how he influenced the Impressionist movement with his unique style. 

Claude Monet

The Impressionist movement was named after Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise work. Monet was a French painter who reshaped French painting during the second half of the nineteenth century. His work is recognized for its mastery of natural light.

He often painted at various times of day to capture changing conditions. In addition, he employed the use of soft brushstrokes and unmixed colors. Moreover, he did not wait for the paint to dry before applying successive layers, a technique that led to softer edges and blurred boundaries.

Claude Monet's Upbringing

Monet was born in a middle-class merchant family in Paris. His parents were financially secure, but he had to struggle to make ends meet as a painter.

As a child, he often skipped school and hiked along the dunes and bluffs, where he was inspired by nature. His parents were not opposed to his becoming a painter, but the artist still had independent ideas.

His inclinations towards painting outdoors were influenced by a friend named Eugene Boudin, who persuaded him to try it. Later, Monet said that Eugene Boudin had opened his destiny as a painter.

Monet's work combines light, shadow, and color to create a more abstract image. His paintings were often completed in one session. This allowed him to show how light changed color and perspective in a painting. He first became fascinated with light changes and reflections in London.

As his art matured, he developed an appreciation for the link between his work and its motifs. In many ways, he influenced later avant-garde artists like Boudin, Courbet, Corot, and Jongkind. In 1871, Claude Monet was invited to visit London by Paul Durand-Ruel, a Parisian art dealer. He chose a painting by Monet for the gallery's first show.

The three of them traveled to London to visit other artists' galleries, and they were impressed by the work of Constable and Turner. Both artists were working outside and were studying the effects of light on nature.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has two major exhibitions dedicated to Monet. The Reflections of Monet exhibit on the main floor of the museum includes his work in Colorfield Painting, Abstract Expressionism, and Lyrical Abstraction. The second floor hosts the Monet exhibition, Monet In The 20th Century.

It was during this time that he began creating some of the greatest works of the nineteenth century. Initially, he painted seascapes and landscapes in the early 1880s. However, he was dissatisfied when his work was rejected. Although he had hopes of receiving positive feedback from the Paris Salon, his manner of presentation caused him to lose face with the judges.

Monet eventually settled down in Argenteuil, a small town near the Seine River. He worked for six years there and perfected his technique. Monet painted over 150 canvases while living in the village. This location became a source of inspiration for the last 30 years of his life. In addition, he created a Japanese garden for reflection and a picturesque arching bridge.

Claude Monet's Impressionism wet-on-wet method 

The wet-on-wet method allowed artists to complete their paintings quicker than traditional dry-on-dry methods. In addition to working with a wet-on-wet method, Monet incorporated other colors into his paintings.

The colors he used included lead white, vermilion, red alizarin lake, and cobalt blue. He also added black to one of his famous paintings of the steam engine.

Unlike other artists, Monet's primary concern is with the atmospheric effects, and not with paint textures and juxtapositions. Impressionism revolutionized the way artists created paintings.

Previously, artists painted landscapes from inside a studio, which resulted in a picture-perfect image. However, the Impressionists started painting from real life, which made it easier for them to capture the changing light and color in a scene.

In addition, they were able to use fast brushstrokes, which made them more easily recognizable. While the wet-on-wet method was pioneered by Monet, others were inspired by him.

Renoir, for instance, specialized in capturing the nude female figure, while Manet specialized in painting groups of people, including ballet dancers. In addition to the wet-on-wet method, Monet also developed a unique approach to painting outside in the open air.

Painting en plein air allowed Monet to study natural light and its effect on colors and composition. This method also allowed him to paint the same subject multiple times, allowing him to capture different impressions of the same object over time.