The Impressionism movement originated from Paris based artists. I came to prominence in the 1870s through the 1880's. The artists were a part of a group called the Cooperative and Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptures and Engravers and they had an exhibit at the studio of photographer/journalist Felix Nadar. The artists in this group included Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas and others. They were joined by other artists later, such as Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and several others. Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), common, ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles"
(Wikipedia contributors. "Impressionism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 31 Dec. 2012.)
The name of the movement originated from a Claude Monet painting titled "Impression, soleil levant") or Impression, Sunrise.
Below is an example of an Impressionist painting. It is entitled "Woman with a Parasol" and it is by Claude Monet. It was completed in 1875.
Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol, (Camille and Jean Monet),
1875, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
