impressionism

[ im-presh-uh-niz-uhm ]

noun

1. Fine Arts.
   1. (usually initial capital letter) a style of painting developed in the last third of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by short brush strokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects.
   2. a manner of painting in which the forms, colors, or tones of an object are lightly and rapidly indicated.
   3. a manner of sculpture in which volumes are partially modeled and surfaces roughened to reflect light unevenly.
2. a theory and practice in literature that emphasizes immediate aspects of objects or actions without attention to details.
3. a late-19th-century and early-20th-century style of musical composition in which lush harmonies, subtle rhythms, and unusual tonal colors are used to evoke moods and impressions.

impressionism

/ ɪmˈprɛʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. often capital a movement in French painting, developed in the 1870s chiefly by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley, having the aim of objectively recording experience by a system of fleeting impressions, esp of natural light effects
2. the technique in art, literature, or music of conveying experience by capturing fleeting impressions of reality or of mood

impressionism

1. A style of painting associated mainly with French artists of the late nineteenth century, such as Edgar Degas , Edouard Manet , Claude Monet , and Pierre-Auguste Renoir . Impressionist painting seeks to re-create the artist's or viewer's general impression of a scene. It is characterized by indistinct outlines and by small brushstrokes of different colors, which the eye blends at a distance. Soft, pastel colors appear frequently in impressionist paintings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of impressionism¹

1880–85; impression + -ism; compare German Impressionismus, French impressionnisme

Example Sentences

And both were obsessed with art, specifically French impressionism.

From Literature

New York City has just annexed the Bronx, Levi Strauss has secured his patent for bluejeans and Louis Leroy has just invented the term “impressionism.”

From Seattle Times

“I had to find my take on impressionism,” she said.

From New York Times

Claude Monet founded impressionism — a term coined from his 1872 painting “Impression, Sunrise” — to become one of the most celebrated painters of the last two centuries.

From Seattle Times

His personal ties to the Impressionists remained strong, though he kept his professional distance from the label of impressionism.

From Washington Post