Impressionism uses abstract strokes instead of detailed imagery.
Impressionist art first arose in the 19th century and reached its height with painters such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Paul Cezanne. It sought a break from older styles of painting by utilizing more abstract techniques, intended to deliver the vivid impression of its subjects rather than painstaking details
Subject Matter
The rise of tube paints in the mid-1800s allowed painters to travel outdoors more readily and select external subjects rather than confining themselves to interior studios or their own imaginations. Instead of focusing on grand subjects or epic situations, Impressionists chose to focus on more ordinary subjects. They often depicted sylvan scenes such as city parks or ponds full of water lilies. Many of them focused on scenes of relaxation, such as children at play or couples walking in the woods, or else looked at the daily lives of humble villagers. This stands in contrast with their predecessors, who painted subjects such as the coronation of Napoleon, or grand scenes from ancient mythology.
Brush Strokes
Impressionist paintings tend to use very short strokes of paint thickly applied so that the brush strokes are often visible. Painters would often apply new layers of paint before the old layers had a chance to dry, which softens the distinctions. In some cases, the artists would create an image out of a series of dots, such as George Seurat's "Circus Sideshow." This often created a rough texture on the surface of the painting, with visible patches of paint in various locations. The effect was to create a more general image of the subject: capturing its core and key details rather than recreating it in true-to-life accuracy.
Colors
Impressionist painters often used bright, eye-catching colors in their pieces. They rarely mixed colors and often placed them on the canvas side-by-side, rather than with a smooth blend. They produced shadows and dark patches by applying different shades of complementary colors, rather than black or gray tones the way earlier artists did. "Colored shadows" are often the norm in Impressionist painting, and the saturation of color often creates a vividness that subtler or more detailed paintings could not hope to replicate.
Composition
Impressionist painters often hoped to bring viewers closer to their subject. Accordingly, they abandoned earlier notions such as symmetry and balanced perspective. Many Impressionist paintings display a high horizontal line to create a plunging perspective, and asymmetrical compositions in which the subject of the painting is not necessarily at its center.
