Been exploring the history behind the French Impressionist art movement.

It’s a story of struggle and experimentation as a group of friends encouraged each other to rebel against the status quo and find their own unique style.

The Impressionists bonded over a shared interest in painting scenes of landscapes and daily life which was uncommon at the time.

Together, they developed a set of techniques for painting these types of scenes.

For example, how do you capture the interplay of light on water?

Claude Monet, in collaboration with other impressionists, developed a series of techniques over the years to handle light on water.

In an early painting, Monet experimented with short comma-like brushstrokes and sharp contrasting colors to capture light on ripples of water.

Later on, Monet tried applying multiple gray tones to create depth and continued using rapid brushstrokes to portray light from the sky reflecting off the sea.

https://www.artble.com/artists/claude_monet/paintings/impression_sunrise#:~:text=Impressionism%20favored%20rapid%20brush%20strokes,the%20rest%20of%20the%20scene.

In his later life, while staying at his property in Giverny, Monet focused his attention to capturing both the reflection of the sky on the water and the depths of the water below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Lilies_(Monet_series)

All in all, the story of the Impressionists captures an enthusiasm for life.

A group of friends set out to explore the frontiers of their art finding newfound freedom of expression in the process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism