Impressionist More Art
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.
1920s Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Boats line a picturesque marina, their colors reflecting softly on the water. Artist Jonelle Summerfield shares that in preparation for the Camino de Santiago, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
1940s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
The quiet anticipation of an evening settles over the coast. Soft pastel light gathers along the horizon as clouds drift across the sky and seabirds glide towar...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
2010s Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
High stone seawalls line parts of the New Jersey shoreline, where tides and surges deposit an array of natural and manmade artifacts. In this scene, a young gir...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Linen, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil, Panel
Artist Comments
In the late afternoon light, long shadows stretch across an amusement park as a giant swing ride whirls riders through the air. In the distance, a towering drop...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The first morning light stretches across the lake at Wind River, Wyoming. As the sky brightens, the woods remain shadowed, and the world slowly wakes. A crisp c...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
Decisive brushwork and subtle color shifts bring magic to this winter New Jersey beach scene. Artist Onelio Marrero contrasts the expanse of climbing clouds wit...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Subtle shifts of tone and softened edges give the horizon a sense of movement and breath. Rooted in artist Jenn Williamson’s quiet mornings, the painting refl...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A summer bouquet rests on a marble countertop. Artist Karen d'Angeac Mihm drew inspiration from her flower subscription, whose joyful mix of colors and organic ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Warm stone buildings and terracotta rooftops rise within the village walls. The scene depicts Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the south of France, where artist Karen d'A...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Karen d'Angeac Mihm used an early-season bouquet from her flower subscription as a reference in this still life. Drawn to the delicate shapes and gracefu...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant, textured palette knife painting captures the beauty and luminosity of the California coast. Wildflowers in the foreground fill the scene, framing the...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Soft coastal colors and loose, expressive brushwork evoke the relaxed rhythm of a day at the beach. The scene suggests striped cabanas and umbrellas layered int...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Winter settles in a marsh, covering a patch of land with snow. The green grass leads to distant hills. Muted sky filled with clouds stretches over the landscape...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Sun-bleached and silvered by time, a weathered picket fence rises against a rolling prairie. Its splintered wood reveals carved names of past lovers and travele...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Three patrons engage in a lively conversation in a local café. Beneath the room's carefully designed lighting, shafts of sunlight cast intricate patterns acros...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A cherry blossom rises in a chilly, snow-covered landscape. Bold, rhythmic brushstrokes add texture to the violet foliage. Predominantly blue tones suggest a st...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The sun rises on the horizon, bathing the cherry trees in golden light. Warm oranges, reds, and yellows fill the landscape. Swaying petals add a sense of gentle...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
1990s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Cardboard
Artist Comments
A tall tree anchors the foreground of this Irish landscape, while a gentle path draws the viewer into the scene. Artist Mary Pratt uses layered palette knife st...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
19th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
The hot weather in Granada, Spain, encourages people to heed the traditional siesta hours. A hat shop offers supplies to help tolerate the blazing heat, but onl...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
1980s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Cardboard
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
A group of koi fish swims through a pond as autumn leaves drift on the surface, creating a lively interplay of color and texture. Artist Onelio Marrero captures...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Gouache
Early 1900s Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Sunrise filters through the windswept coastal trees. Warm golds and soft pinks shimmer across the water, while the dark silhouettes of branches frame the glowing horizon. The contrast between radiant light and shadow creates a peaceful, intimate moment at daybreak.
About the Artist
Artist Aruna Rao paints impressionistic seascapes that capture the shimmer of light, the movement of water, and the quiet poetry of coastal life. "I am endlessly inspired by how light transforms a scene, softening the atmosphere and turning an ordinary moment into something unforgettable," says Aruna. Growing up in a literary family in India, she was surrounded by stories and art, which sparked her love of narrative and visual expression. After a 20-year career in IT, she returned to painting, earning an MFA with top honors from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Living in Florida offers endless inspiration, from sunrise beaches and glowing horizons to quiet harbors and small human moments that evoke joy and nostalgia. Influenced by French Impressionists and contemporary coastal painters, Aruna creates luminous works that invite the viewer to pause, breathe, and rediscover the beauty of the present moment. When she is not painting, she enjoys beach walks, discovering music, watching films with her husband, and spending time with their two cats.
Words that describe this painting: sunrise, coast, Brent Cotton...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
Late 19th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
1890s Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This painting vividly captures a lively sunset at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, California. The sky's reflection ripples with the rolling waves, b...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
1920s Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Impressionist More Art
Paper, Watercolor
Late 19th Century Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Bright morning sunlight filters through nearly bare trees as a young mother gives her daughter a piggyback ride. Patches of lingering snow melt in the rising te...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A red bird soars across a white background. Loose watercolor washes shape its wings and suggest a fluttering motion. The freedom of the medium lets artist Sally...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Cardboard
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Panel
Early 20th Century Impressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1890s Impressionist More Art
Oil, Panel
