Impressionism

The Impressionists transformed the way we look at the world. Yet their contemporaries were so shocked at their unconventional methods that the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874 provoked howls of laughter. Newspaper critics mockingly warned women and children to avoid exposure to this lunacy. Ironically, the Impressionists considered themselves Realists, whose aim was to create an equivalent for the optical effects they observed in nature. They studied how white light is broken into myriad colors on contact with air, water and skin. And they discovered that shadows are not black, or brown, but full of color. Equally fascinated by scientific studies of motion, the Impressionists exprerimented with methods of suggesting movement and the quick glance of casual looking. To achieve this snapshot" effect, they employed radical techniques: unusual viewing angles, asymmetrical designs and forms cut off at the picture edge. Although their sensual paintings may seem straightforward, the Impressionists penetrated beyond surface appearances to reveal the psychology of modern life.