American Impressionism was a style of painting related to European Impressionism and practiced by American artists in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. The style is characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors with a wide array of subject matters but focusing on landscapes and upper-class domestic life.

Emerging Style

Theodore Robinson - Low Tide, Riverside Yacht Club (1894)

Mary Cassatt - The Child's Bath - Google Art Project

Impressionism emerged as an artistic style in France in the 1860s. Major exhibitions of French impressionist works in Boston and New York in the 1880s introduced the style to the American public. The first exhibit took place in 1886 in New York and was presented by the American Art Association and organized by

Paul Durand-Ruel Paul Durand-Ruel (31 October 1831, Paris – 5 February 1922, Paris) was a French art dealer associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School. Being the first to support artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste ...

. Some of the first American artists to paint in an impressionistic mode, such as

Theodore Robinson Theodore Robinson (June 3, 1852April 2, 1896) was an American painter best known for his Impressionist landscapes. He was one of the first American artists to take up Impressionism in the late 1880s, visiting Giverny and developing a close frie ...

and Mary Cassatt, did so in the late 1880s after visiting France and meeting with artists such as

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

. Others, such as

Childe Hassam Frederick Childe Hassam (; October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impression ...

, took notice of the increasing numbers of French impressionist works at American exhibitions. Impressionism was initially unpopular in the United States. At the first exhibit in 1886, Americans were attracted to the landscape paintings but were offended by the realist figures and nudity depicted in other paintings. American artists were hesitant to adopt the style of Impressionism while studying in France as it was created as a radical rejection of tradition at the Academy and American artists hoped to gain acceptance through their traditional academy studies. Overtime, American patrons began to accept the abstract forms of Impressionism, especially as American artists, such as Mary Cassatt, began to adopt the styles of French Impressionism.

Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt played a large role in the adoption of Impressionism by American patrons. Mary Cassatt formed a close relationship with Edgar Degas, who, impressed by her work, invited her to show with the French Impressionists in 1877. She was the only American to ever exhibit her work alongside the original Impressionists in France. Through her connections to wealthy upperclass Americans, Cassatt convinced many of her friends of the artistic merits of Impressionism and encouraged the purchase of French works.

Characteristics of American Impressionism

Unlike early Renaissance painters, American Impressionists favored asymmetrical composition, cropped figures, and plunging perspectives in their works in order to create a more "impressionist" version of the subject. In addition, American impressionists used pure color straight from the tubes to make the works more vibrant, used broken brushstrokes, and practiced "impasto"- a style of painting characterized by thick raised strokes. European impressionists painted tranquil scenes of landscapes or the lower and middle classes. American impressionists focused on landscapes like the European impressionists, but unlike their European counterparts, American impressionists also painted scenes of quiet domesticity, in contrast to the emergence of industrialization.

Impressionism in the Industrial Age

As railroads, automobiles, and other new technology emerged, American impressionists often painted vast landscapes and small towns in an effort to return to nature. Before the invention of collapsible paint tubes artists were often confined to using subjects in their studios or painting from memory. With the invention of paint tubes in 1841, artists could transport their paint and easily paint in nature.

Trailblazers

From the 1890s through the 1910s, American impressionism flourished in art colonies—loosely affiliated groups of artists who lived and worked together and shared a common aesthetic vision. Art colonies tended to form in small towns that provided affordable living, abundant scenery for painting, and relatively easy access to large cities where artists could sell their work. Some of the most important American impressionist artists gathered at

Cos Cob Cos Cob is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is located on the Connecticut shoreline in southern Fairfield County. It had a population of 6,770 at the 2010 census. Cos Cob is located on the west ...

and Old Lyme, Connecticut, both on

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the E ...

;

New Hope, Pennsylvania New Hope is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,612 at the 2020 census. New Hope is located approximately north of Philadelphia, and lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. ...

, on the Delaware River; and

Brown County, Indiana Brown County is a county in Indiana which in 2010 had a population of 15,242. The county seat (and only incorporated town) is Nashville. History The United States acquired the land from the Native Americans, part of which forms the southwest ...

. American impressionist artists also thrived in California at Carmel and

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and ...

; in New York on eastern Long Island at Shinnecock, largely due to the influence of

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

; and in Boston where Edmund Charles Tarbell and

Frank Weston Benson Frank Weston Benson, frequently referred to as Frank W. Benson, (March 24, 1862 – November 15, 1951) was an American artist from Salem, Massachusetts known for his Realistic portraits, American Impressionist paintings, watercolors and etchin ...

became important practitioners of the impressionist style.

Jazz Age decline

Some American art colonies remained vibrant centers of impressionist art into the 1920s. But with the advent of the Aschan School in 1910, the tides of the American art world started change. Impressionism in America further lost its cutting-edge status in 1913 when a historic exhibition of modern art took place at the 69th Regiment Armory building in New York City. The “

Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of ...

”, as it came to be called, heralded a new painting style regarded as more in touch with the increasingly fast-paced and chaotic world, especially with the outbreak of World War I, The Great Depression and World War II.

Notable American Impressionists

Prominent impressionist painters, from the United States include: *

John White Alexander John White Alexander (7 October 1856 – 31 May 1915) was an American portrait, figure, and decorative painter and illustrator. Early life Alexander was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now a part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Orphaned in in ...

(1856–1915) * J. Ottis Adams (1851–1927) * Lucy Bacon (1857–1932) * George Herbert Baker (1878–1943) *

John Noble Barlow John Noble Barlow (1861–1917) was a prominent English artist at the turn of the twentieth century, known predominantly as a landscape and seascape painter. Biography John Barlow was born in Manchester, England in 1861. He enrolled at the A ...

(1861–1917) * Thomas P. Barnett (1870–1929) * Reynolds Beal (1867–1951) * Marilyn Bendell (1921-2003) *

(1862–1951) * Johann Berthelsen (1883–1972) * Warren Eugene Brandon (1916–1977) *

John Leslie Breck John Leslie Breck (1860–1899) was an American artist who died at the age of 39. During his short life he painted a number of notable works, and is credited with introducing Impressionism to the United States with a show in Boston in 1890. He d ...

(1860–1899) * Matilda Browne (1869–1947) * John Elwood Bundy (1853–1933) *

Dennis Miller Bunker Dennis Miller Bunker (November 6, 1861 – December 28, 1890) was an American painter and innovator of American Impressionism. His mature works include both brightly colored landscape paintings and dark, finely drawn portraits and figures. One ...

(1861–1890) *

Theodore Earl Butler Theodore Earl Butler, (1861–1936) was an American impressionist painter. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Paris to study art. He befriended Claude Monet in Giverny, and married his stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé. After her death ...

(1861–1936) * Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) *

(1849–1916) *

Alson S. Clark Alson Skinner Clark (March 25, 1876 – March 23, 1949) was an American Impressionist painter best remembered for his landscapes. He was also a photographer, '' plein aire'' painter, art educator and muralist. Early life and education On ...

(1876–1949) *

Colin Campbell Cooper Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. (March 8, 1856 – November 6, 1937) was an American Impressionist painter, perhaps most renowned for his architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid travele ...

(1856–1937) * Paul Cornoyer (1864–1923) *

Joseph DeCamp Joseph Rodefer DeCamp (November 5, 1858February 11, 1923) was an American painter and educator. Biography Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied with Frank Duveneck. In the second half of the 1870s he went with Duveneck and fellow students ...

(1858–1923) *

Thomas Dewing Thomas Wilmer Dewing (May 4, 1851November 5, 1938) was an American painter working at the turn of the 20th century. Schooled in Paris, Dewing was noted for his figure paintings of aristocratic women. He was a founding member of the Ten American ...

(1851–1938) * George W Dinckel (1890–1976) *

Frank DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teac ...

(1865–1951) * John Joseph Enneking (1841–1916) *

Carl Eytel Carl Eytel (September 12, 1862 – September 17, 1925) was a German American artist who built his reputation for paintings and drawings of desert subjects in the American Southwest. Immigrating to the United States in 1885, he settled in Palm Sp ...

(1862–1925) *

Pedro Figari Pedro Figari (June 29, 1861 – July 24, 1938) was a Uruguayan painter, lawyer, writer, and politician. Although he did not begin the practice until his later years, he is best known as an early modernist painter who emphasized capturing the ev ...

(1861–1938) *

Frederick Carl Frieseke Frederick Carl Frieseke (April 7, 1874 – August 24, 1939) was an American Impressionist painter who spent most of his life as an expatriate in France. An influential member of the Giverny art colony, his paintings often concentrated on variou ...

(1874–1939) *

Daniel Garber Daniel Garber (April 11, 1880 – July 5, 1958) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, in which he ...

(1880–1958) * Robert F. Gault (1898–1977) AWS *

Arthur Hill Gilbert Arthur Hill Gilbert (June 10, 1893 – April 1970http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/112D8289724F81D4) was an American Impressionist painter, notable as one of the practitioners of the California-style. Today, he is remembered fo ...

(1893–1970) *

Edmund Greacen Edmund William Greacen (1876–1949) was an American Impressionist painter. His active career extended from 1905 to 1935, during which he created many colorful works in oil on canvas and board. One of his works, a reproduction of which is at the ...

(1877–1949) * Richard Gruelle (1851–1914) *

(1859–1935) * William Samuel Horton (1865–1936) *

Wilson Irvine Wilson Henry Irvine (28 February 1869 – 1936) was a master American Impressionist landscape painter. Although most closely associated with the Old Lyme, Connecticut art colony headed by Florence Griswold, Irvine spent his early career near C ...

(1869–1936) * Charles S. Kaelin (1858–1929) * Joseph Kleitsch (1882–1931) (California Impressionist) *

Albert Henry Krehbiel Albert Henry Krehbiel (November 25, 1873 – June 29, 1945), was the most decorated American painter ever at the French Academy, winning the Prix De Rome, four gold medals and five cash prizes. He was born in Denmark, Iowa and taught, lived an ...

(1873–1945) *

William Langson Lathrop William Langson Lathrop (pronounced "LAY-throp") (March 29, 1859 – September 21, 1938) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and founder of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is sometimes referred to as a "Pennsylvania I ...

(1859–1938) *

Hayley Lever Richard Hayley Lever (28 September 1876 – 6 December 1958) was an Australian-American painter, etcher, lecturer and art teacher. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1932 Summer Olympics. Life and wor ...

(1876–1958) *

Laura Muntz Lyall Laura Muntz Lyall (June 18, 1860 – December 9, 1930) was a Canadian Impressionist painter, known for her sympathetic portrayal of women and children. Life and work Laura Adeline Muntz was born at Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Eng ...

(1860–1930) *

Theodore Lukits Theodore Nikolai Lukits (November 26, 1897 – January 20, 1992) was a Romanian American portrait and landscape painter. His initial fame came from his portraits of glamorous actresses of the silent film era, but since his death, his Asian-inspir ...

(1897–1992) * Victor Matson (1895–1972) *

Willard Metcalf Willard Leroy Metcalf (July 1, 1858March 9, 1925) was an American painter born in Lowell, Massachusetts. He studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and later attended Académie Julian, Paris. After early figure-painting and il ...

(1858–1925) * Richard Edward Miller (1875–1943) * Abram Molarsky (1879–1955) * Robertson Kirtland Mygatt (1861–1919) *

George Loftus Noyes George Loftus Noyes (1864–1954) was a Canadian born artist who gained fame in the early 20th century as an American Impressionist. Noyes was born in Bothwell, Ontario and died in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Noyes' parents were both Ameri ...

(1864–1954) *

Frank Nuderscher Frank Bernard Nuderscher (July 19, 1880 – October 7, 1959) was an American Illustration, illustrator, muralist, and Painting, painter of the American Impressionism style. He was called the "dean of St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis artists" ...

(1880–1959) *

Leonard Ochtman Leonard Ochtman (October 21, 1854 – October 27, 1934) was a Dutch- American Impressionist painter who specialized in landscapes. He was a founding member of the Cos Cob Art Colony and the Greenwich Society of Artists. Biography and car ...

(1854–1935) * Julian Onderdonk (1882–1922) *

William McGregor Paxton William McGregor Paxton (June 22, 1869 – 1941) was an American painter and instructor who embraced the Boston School paradigm and was a co-founder of The Guild of Boston Artists. He taught briefly while a student at Cowles Art School, wher ...

(1869–1941) *

Edgar Alwin Payne Edgar Alwin Payne (1 March 1883 – 8 April 1947) was an American painter. He was known as a Western landscape painter and muralist. Early life Payne was born near Cassville, Barry County, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks.. Cassville is in ...

(1883–1947) * Clara Elsene Peck (1883–1968) * Van Dearing Perrine (1869–1955)1869–1955. Member, National Academy. http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/4aa/4aa26.htm * Lilla Cabot Perry (1848–1933) * Fritz Poock (1877–1945) *

Edward Henry Potthast Edward Henry Potthast (June 10, 1857 – March 9, 1927) was an American Impressionist painter. He is known for his paintings of people at leisure in Central Park, and on the beaches of New York and New England. Life and work Edward Henry Pottha ...

(1857–1927) * Edward Willis Redfield (1869–1925) * Robert Reid (1862–1929) *

(1852–1896) * Edward Francis Rook (1870–1960) *

Guy Rose Guy Orlando Rose (3 March 1867 – 17 November 1925) was an American Impressionist painter and California resident, who received national recognition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life and education Guy Orlando Rose was b ...

(1867–1925) * Porfirio Salinas (1910–1973) *

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and mor ...

(1856–1925) * Paul Sawyier (1865–1917) * Christian von Schneidau (1893–1976) * Edward Simmons (1852–1931) * Sueo Serisawa (1910-2004) (California Impressionist) * Tim Solliday (born 1952) * George Sotter (1879–1953) * Anna Huntington Stanley (1864–1907) *

Otto Stark Otto Stark (January 29, 1859 – April 14, 1926) was an American Impressionist painter muralist, commercial artist, printmaker, and illustrator from Indianapolis, Indiana, who is best known as one of the five Hoosier Group artists. Stark's work ...

(1859–1926) *

T. C. Steele Theodore Clement Steele (September 11, 1847 – July 24, 1926) was an American Impressionist painter known for his Indiana landscapes. Steele was an innovator and leader in American Midwest painting and is one of the most famous of Indiana ...

(1847–1926) * Edmund Charles Tarbell (1862–1938) *

John Henry Twachtman John Henry Twachtman (August 4, 1853 – August 8, 1902) was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman's style of American Impr ...

(1853–1902) *

Edward Charles Volkert Edward Charles Volkert (1871–1935) was an American Impressionist artist best known for his colorful and richly painted impressionist landscapes. His trademark subject was that of cattle and plowmen. His style is noted for its impressionist use ...

(1871–1935) *

Robert Vonnoh Robert William Vonnoh (September 17, 1858 – 28 December 1933) was an American Impressionist painter known for his portraits and landscapes. He traveled extensively between the American East Coast and France, more specifically the artists ...

(1858–1933) * Clark Voorhees (1871–1933) *

Marion Wachtel Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (June 10, 1873/77 – May 22, 1954) was an American plein air painter in watercolors and oils. She lived and worked with her artist husband Elmer Wachtel in the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena, California, in the early ...

(1875–1954) * Fred Wagner (1860–1940) * Martha Walter (1895–1976) *

J. Alden Weir Julian Alden Weir (August 30, 1852 – December 8, 1919) was an American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony near Greenwich, Connecticut. Weir was also one of the founding members of "The Ten", a loosely allied group of ...

(1852–1919) * Catherine Wiley (1879–1958) * Robert William Wood (1889–1979) *

Mary Agnes Yerkes Mary Agnes Yerkes, ( ; August 9, 1886 – November 8, 1989), was an American Impressionist painter, photographer and artisan. She was skilled in the media of oil, pastel and watercolor. Her professional career was cut short by the Great Depress ...

(1886–1989)

Gallery

File:Cassatt Mary Lilacs in a Window 1880.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''Lilacs in a Window'', 1880 File:Celia Thaxter's Garden.jpg,

, ''

Celia Thaxter Celia Thaxter (née Laighton; June 29, 1835 – August 25, 1894) was an American writer of poetry and stories. For most of her life, she lived with her father on the Isles of Shoals at his Appledore Hotel. How she grew up to become a writer is de ...

's Garden'', 1890, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City File:Brooklyn Museum - Dolce Far Niente - John Singer Sargent - overall.jpg,

, ''Dolce Far Niente'', 1907,

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown ...

File:Edmund Charles Tarbell - Au verger.jpg, Edmund C. Tarbell, ''In the Orchard'', 1891, Smithsonian American Art Museum,

Washington, DC. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

File:Chase William Merritt Idle Hours 1894.jpg,

, ''Idle Hours'', 1894,

Amon Carter Museum Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American pub ...

, Fort Worth, Texas File:Brooklyn Museum - On the Beach - Edward Henry Potthast - overall.jpg,

, ''On the Beach'', c.1913,

File:John H. Twachtman 001.jpg,

, ''The White Bridge'', ca. 1895,

Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

File:Julian Alden Weir Ravine near Branchville.jpg,

, ''Ravine near Branchville,'' c. 1905–1915, Dallas Museum of Art

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

*
American Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
', a fully digitized 3 volume exhibition catalog
''American impressionism and realism : a landmark exhibition from the Met''
a 1991 exhibition catalog from the Metropolitan Museum of Art libraries

"The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism," Exhibition on Screen

"American Impressionism," Florence Griswold Museum

* ttp://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aimp/hd_aimp.htm "American Impressionism," The Met Museum
"Finding Beauty in Land," ''The New York Times''
{{Impressionists American art movements American art