Emerging in 19th-century France, Impressionist art embraced loose brushwork and plein-air painting to respond to the movement of daily life. Although the pioneers of the Impressionist movement — Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir — are now household names, their work was a radical break with an art scene led and shaped by academic traditions for around two centuries. These academies had oversight of a curriculum that emphasized formal drawing, painting and sculpting techniques and historical themes.
The French Impressionists were influenced by a group of artists known as the Barbizon School, who painted what they witnessed in nature. The rejection of pieces by these artists and the later Impressionists from the salons culminated in a watershed 1874 exhibition in Paris that was staged outside of the juried systems. After a work of Monet’s was derided by a critic as an unfinished “impression,” the term was taken as a celebration of their shared interest in capturing fleeting moments as subject matter, whether the shifting weather on rural landscapes or the frenzy of an urban crowd. Rather than the exacting realism of the academic tradition, Impressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings represented how an artist saw a world in motion.
Many Impressionist painters were inspired by the perspectives in imported Japanese prints alongside these shifts in European painting — Édouard Manet drew on ukiyo-e woodblock prints and depicted Japanese design in his Portrait of Émile Zola, for example. American artists such as Mary Cassatt and William Merritt Chase, who studied abroad, were impacted by the work of the French artists, and by the late 19th century American Impressionism had its own distinct aesthetics with painters responding to the rapid modernization of cities through quickly created works that were vivid with color and light.
Find a collection of authentic Impressionist art on 1stDibs.
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Nature Woman Nude Figurative
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful abstracted nude, a watercolor painting by California artist Virginia Hughins (Virginia Brubaker DeWolf), (American, 1923-2004). Singed "V. Hughins" lower right. Unframed. I...
Paper, Watercolor
Red Rose
Located in Zofingen, AG
This piece bursts with raw passion and bold emotion, blending expressionism and pop art to evoke strength and sensuality. The vibrant red rose symbolizes fiery desire, set against de...
Acrylic, Canvas, Oil
$645Sale Price|20% Off
French Impressionist Set of Two Nude Male Figures Showering Pencil Sketch
By Louise Alix
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Figures by Louise Alix (French, 1888-1980) *see notes below provenance stamp to the back pencil drawing on artist paper, unframed measures: 10 high by 8.25 inches wide conditio...
Color Pencil
$537Sale Price|20% Off
Reclining Nude Lady Model 1970's French Modernist Painting Provence Collection
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Artists Model Nude Lady Model French School, circa 1970's signed oil painting on card, unframed size: 19.5 x 24 inches condition: overall very good, a very few light markings t...
Oil
Apres le Bain
By Rafaello Busoni
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Rafaello Busoni, American (1900 - 1962) Title: Apres le Bain Year: circa 1950 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 30 in. x 22 in. (76.2 cm x 55.88...
Canvas, Oil
$515Sale Price|20% Off
GENEVIEVE ZONDERVAN (1922-2013) FRENCH DRAWING- SIDE PROFILE OF A NUDE LADY
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Lady Drawing by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) pencil/charcoal drawing on paper paper: 13 x 10 inches Superb mid-century oil painting on board by the French artist, Ge...
Charcoal, Pencil
$515Sale Price|20% Off
GENEVIEVE ZONDERVAN (1922-2013) FRENCH POST IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING - NUDE LADY
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"" by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) acrylic painting on artist paper paper: 12.5 x 19.75 inches Superb mid-century oil painting on board by the French artist, Geneviève Zo...
Acrylic
$4,250
"Sinner Beware" (2022) by Clyde Steadman, Original Nude Female Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Sinner Beware" by Clyde Steadman (United States) is a handmade nude female portrait painting that is unframed, but ready to hang.
Oil
"Gerhard richter charites"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this vivid expression, I delve deeply into the turbulent emotions of the human psyche. The bold, fiery reds at the center symbolize the intense passions and conflicts we hold wit...
Acrylic
"Gerhard richter graces"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this vibrant acrylic piece, I merge the worlds of pop art and metaphysical exploration, layering chaotic splashes of colors upon a structured striped backdrop. Each stroke embodi...
Acrylic
"Roy lichtenstein angel"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this vivid exploration of color and movement, I blend elements of cubism and pop art to challenge the conventional perspectives. The swirling red and yellow lines dance across a ...
Acrylic
$1,487Sale Price|20% Off
Die Jugend. 1970. Oil on plywood, 78x52 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Act in pink. 1970. Oil on plywood, 78x52 cm Composition with woman act in pink color
Plywood, Oil
Once Upon a Moonlit Night
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I sought to capture the fluidity of motion and the vibrant interplay of color. The moon's gentle glow and the tranquil background set a scene of serene introspection, ...
Canvas, Oil, Linen, Acrylic
$837Sale Price|35% Off
Dans L'Atelier Mardi - Mid 20th Century Nude Still Life Oil by Michael D'Aguilar
Located in Watford, Hertfordshire
Baron Michael D`Aguilar was born on May 15, 1922 in London to Spanish parents. He was brother of the artist Paul D`Aguilar. He spent much of his early life in Spain. He studied at...
Oil
Élégante dans un Parc, French Impressionist Nude Painting on Canvas, Framed
Located in PARIS, FR
Conditions : Original canvas. Signed lower right. Magnificent 19th Frame in excellent Conditions, Minor retouching on the arm and two minor holes almost invisible. Composition: mode...
Canvas
Abstract ll
Located in East Hampton, NY
Abstract work COMES FRAMED simple wood, app 1.5" deep. Cubism Style Post Modern About the Artist: Kenneth B Walsh (1922-1980) In the 1950s, Kenneth Bonar Walsh came to Montauk fr...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$3,100
Please
Located in East Hampton, NY
Please Erotic Nude Cubist Painting NOT framed Neo Cubism About the Artist: Kenneth B Walsh (1922-1980) In the 1950s, Kenneth Bonar Walsh came to Montauk from New York City to paint seascapes, catch fish, sing of Nature's beauty, put down roots, and, later, develop a style of painting all his own. The Boston native moved to New York after attending the School of Practical Art on the G.I. Bill, where he began his career in the art department of Lever Brothers. But he had bigger dreams, and soon established the Bonart Studio, a commercial art business. RCA Records, the Ideal and Transogram toy companies, and the Schrafft’s candy and chocolate company were among the studio’s clients. The business a success, he began to take vacations. He liked Montauk so much that he built a house in Hither Hills...
Canvas, Acrylic
$925Sale Price|62% Off
Girls by the Sea - Mid 20th Century Nude Still Life Oil by Michael D'Aguilar
Located in Watford, Hertfordshire
Baron Michael D`Aguilar was born on May 15, 1922 in London to Spanish parents. He was brother of the artist Paul D`Aguilar. He spent much of his early life in Spain. He studied at...
Oil Pastel
$2,417Sale Price|20% Off
Enza
By Boli 3
Located in MADRID, ES
Impresionist woman figure
Canvas, Oil
$2,208
Vero
By Boli 3
Located in MADRID, ES
Impresionist woman figure
Canvas, Acrylic
Young Lovers in the Morning Embrace. Mid-Century Neo-Classical Love Song
Located in Miami, FL
This Mid-Century illustration/painting is rendered in a Neo-Classical style and showcases young lovers in a morning embrace. The man is holding a small bouquet as the woman leans int...
Mixed Media, Tempera, Illustration Board