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.
"Untitled 9, " Watercolor Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Clyde Steadman's "Untitled 9" is an original, handmade watercolor painting that depicts an impasto portrait of a feminine face.
Paper, Watercolor
"Untitled 8, " Watercolor Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Clyde Steadman's "Untitled 8" is an original, handmade watercolor painting that depicts an impasto portrait of a feminine face.
Paper, Watercolor
"Portrait of a Girl, " attrib. to Edmund Tarbell, graphite, portrait, 1900-1910
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Born in Groton, Massachusetts in 1862, impressionist painter Edmund Charles Tarbell studied with George H. Bartlett at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, under Otto Grundmann at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in 1883, entered the Académie Julian to study under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre. In 1884, his education included a Grand Tour to Italy and the following year to Belgium, Germany and Brittany. Tarbell returned to Boston in 1886 where he began his career as an illustrator, private art instructor and portrait painter. He was a member of the Ten American Painters and was a leading member of a group of painters which came to be known as the Boston School. In 1889 Tarbell assumed the position of his former mentor, Otto Grundmann, at the Museum School. His students included Bertha Coolidge, Margaret Fitzhugh Browne...
Graphite
Self-Portrait with Hat, Women Impressionist artist , Dated 1883
Located in PARIS, FR
Emilie GUILLAUMOT-ADAN Paris 1855 - 1929 Self-portrait with hat Watercolor and graphite pencil Signed, dated May 1883 and dedicated "to my beloved sister Lili" 32 x 25.5 cm sheet ...
Watercolor, Graphite
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Man with White Hair and Mustache in Pastel on Artist's Board
By Honora Berg
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a Man with White Hair and Mustache in Pastel on Cardstock Portrait of a man by Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985). The man is looking directly at the viewer, with a neutral expression. He has white hair and a mustache, and is wearing a brown suit with a red tie. Signed "Honora Berg" in the bottom right corner. Stamp from Miller Fine Art on verso Acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Initialed and numbered "HB 117" on verso Unframed. Board size: 20"H x 15"W Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985) was an Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Figurative School artist who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute with David Park, Elmer Bischoff and James Budd Dixon. Berg's friend Edith Truesdell — David Park's aunt — suggested a move to California in 1951 to study under Park. She exhibited at the 25th Annual Drawing, Print and Sculpture Exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1961. Provenance, Estate of Honora Berg - David Carlson Gallery, Larry Miller...
Canvas, Cardboard, Oil Pastel
19th C. Newspaper Illustration of Hiram H. Hobbs, Foreman of the Grand Jury 1898
Located in Soquel, CA
Historical late 19th century portrait of Hiram H. Hobbs, Foreman of the Grand Jury of San Francisco y Richard Langtry Partington (American, ...
India Ink, Illustration Board
Portrait of a Woman
By Doris Warner
Located in Soquel, CA
Vintage watercolor portrait by Doris Ann Warner (American, 1925-2010). Signed "Warner" in the lower right corner. Dated "1978". Unframed. Doris Ann Warner began as an Abstract Expre...
Paper, Watercolor, Conté
Four Faces - Portrait Study in Red & Green by Clayton Anderson
Located in Soquel, CA
Red and green pastel portrait study of four faces in different poses, one male and one female, by Visionary artist Clayton Anderson (American, b. 1943). Signed and dated "Clayton 197...
Pastel, Archival Paper
Clown Portrait #11
Located in Soquel, CA
Watercolor portrait of a clown on heavy paper by Marjorie Blake (American, 1920-1994). Signed "M. Blake" in the lower right corner. Unframed. Marjorie ...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait of an Old Man
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of an old man done in charcoal by California artist Ralph Edward Joosten (American, 1928-2009). Signed "R. Joosten 82" lower right. Pre...
Paper, Charcoal
"Portrait of La Goulue, " Auguste Grass-Mick, pastel, portrait, impressionist
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Born in Paris, France in 1873, artist Auguste Grass-Mick apprenticed under lithography engraver Auguste Lemoine, the Dangler brothers and painter Georges Lavergne. A patron of Paris's cabarets, Le Chat...
Pastel
Two Girls, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Ernst Berger
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ernst Berger, Austrian (1857 - 1919) - Two Girls, Medium: Gouache on Paper, signed lower right, Size: 15 x 16 in. (38.1 x 40.64 cm), Frame Size: 23 x 23.5 inches
Gouache
Nude with Purple Hair, Impressionist Watercolor and Gouache by Wayne Ensrud
By Wayne Ensrud
Located in Long Island City, NY
Wayne Ensrud, American (1934 - ) - Nude with Purple Hair, Year: 1980, Medium: Watercolor and Gouache on Paper, signed l.r., Size: 30 x 22.5 in. (76.2 x 57.15 cm)
Watercolor, Gouache
Woman in Bed, Impressionist Watercolor and Gouache by Wayne Ensrud
By Wayne Ensrud
Located in Long Island City, NY
Wayne Ensrud, American (1934 - ) - Woman in Bed, Year: 1980, Medium: Watercolor and Gouache on Paper, signed l.r., Size: 22.5 x 30 in. (57.15 x 76.2 cm)
Watercolor, Gouache
Portrait of a Man, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Man (P5.27), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 14 x 10 in. (35.56 x 25.4 cm), Description: Facing the left...
Watercolor
Portrait of a Man, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Man (P5.49), Year: 1949, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 18 x 13 in. (45.72 x 33.02 cm), Description: Rendered in li...
Watercolor
George Wagner, Impressionist Ink by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - George Wagner (P5.53), Year: 1947, Medium: Ink on Paper, Size: 5.5 x 4.5 in. (13.97 x 11.43 cm), Description: Eve Nethercott's portra...
Ink
Portrait of a Woman, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Woman (P5.24), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 22 x 15 in. (55.88 x 38.1 cm), Description: Sitting with ...
Watercolor
Woman in Yellow, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Woman in Yellow (P5.26), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 22 x 15 in. (55.88 x 38.1 cm), Description: Wearing a matchin...
Watercolor
Ruth Kraker, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Ruth Kraker (P5.46), Year: 1944, Medium: Ink, Watercolor and Crayon on Paper, Size: 12 x 9 in. (30.48 x 22.86 cm), Description: Rende...
Ink, Watercolor
Portrait of Man with Ascot, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of Man with Ascot (P1.19), Year: 1957, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 22.5 x 15 in. (57.15 x 38.1 cm), Description: Wear...
Watercolor
Portrait of a Woman, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Woman (87), Year: 1960, Medium: Watercolor, Size: 20 in. x 15 in. (50.8 cm x 38.1 cm), Description: Illuminated from the ...
Watercolor
Portrait of a Woman, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Woman (P2.49), Year: 1957, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Image Size: 19.5 x 12 inches, Size: 22 x 15 in. (55.88 x 38.1 c...
Watercolor
Woman in Kimono, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Woman in Kimono (89), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor, Size: 20 in. x 14 in. (50.8 cm x 35.56 cm), Description: Wearing a traditional Ja...
Watercolor
Santander, Impressionist Ink by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Santander, Year: 1961, Medium: Ink on Paper, Size: 14 x 10 in. (35.56 x 25.4 cm), Description: Smiling at the viewer, Eve Nethercott'...
Ink
Portrait of a Man, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Man (86), Year: 1957, Medium: Watercolor, Size: 22 in. x 15 in. (55.88 cm x 38.1 cm), Description: Cast against a yellow ...
Watercolor
Portrait of Man in Beret, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of Man in Beret (P2.39), Year: 1956, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 22 x 15 in. (55.88 x 38.1 cm), Description: This cap...
Watercolor
Roslyn, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Roslyn (P1.11), Year: 1959, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 15 x 22 in. (38.1 x 55.88 cm), Description: Tinted in a soft purple hu...
Watercolor
Lady's Profile, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Lady's Profile (P5.74), Year: 1960, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94 cm), Description: Facing the left, E...
Watercolor
Seated Woman, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Seated Woman (P6.32), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 19.5 x 15 in. (49.53 x 38.1 cm), Description: Wearing a black ve...
Watercolor
Seated Model, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Seated Model (P5.63), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 14 x 18 in. (35.56 x 45.72 cm), Description: Seated in a folding...
Watercolor
Woman in Yellow, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Woman in Yellow (P3.21), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 20 x 13.5 in. (50.8 x 34.29 cm), Description: Rendered in the...
Watercolor
Portrait of a Japanese Woman, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Portrait of a Japanese Woman (P4.9), Year: 1961, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 16.5 x 12.5 in. (41.91 x 31.75 cm), Description: ...
Watercolor
Bearded Man Portrait (27), Ink and Pastel on Paper by Raphael Soyer
Located in Long Island City, NY
Bearded Man Portrait (27) Raphael Soyer Russian/American (1899–1987) Date: circa 1970 Ink and Pastel on paper, signed Size: 11.5 x 8 in. (29.21 x 20.32 cm) Frame Size: 20.75 x 17 i...
Ink, Pastel
Portrait of Bearded Man, Impressionist Graphite on Paper by Hal Frater
By Hal Frater
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hal Frater, American (1909 - 2008) - Portrait of Bearded Man, Medium: Graphite on Paper, signed lower right, Size: 11 x 8.5 in. (27.94 x 21.59 cm)
Graphite
$1,429
Portrait of Madame H. L, Impressionist Ink Drawing, Circa 1882, Signed
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Henri-Charles (Henri) SAUVAGE (Blois, 1853 – 1912) Portrait of Madame H. L, 1882 Pen and ink on paper, 34 × 22 cm. Signed lower right: H. Sauvage. Provenance Private colle...
Ink
Hiawatha's Honeymoon Pastel on Canvas, American Impressionist, 1930s
Located in Miami, FL
In a heroic standing pose on a cliff, set against the grandeur of nature, female illustrator Adelaide Hiebel depicts an idealized double portrait of Hiawatha and her husband, Minneha...
Pastel, Canvas
West Hampton, Impressionist Watercolor by Eve Nethercott
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - ) Title: West Hampton (P3.32) Year: 1958 Medium: Watercolor on Paper (Double-Sided), annotated Size: 14 x 19.5 in. (35.56 x 49.53 cm) Other ...
Watercolor
Haystacks. 1960s. Two-sided. Paper, watercolor, 31x25 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Haystacks. 1960s. Bilateral. Paper, watercolor, 31x25 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began h...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 27, 5x20 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 27,5x20 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her studi...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 29x25.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 29x25.5 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her studi...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 22x20 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 22x20 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her studies...
Paper, Watercolor
Reflections. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 17, 5x12, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Reflections. 1960s. Watercolor on paper, 17,5x12,5 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her ...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait. 1963, watercolor on paper, 26x18 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. 1963, watercolor on paper, 26x18 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her studies a...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait of a man with glasses. 1960s. Paper, watercolor, 35.5x24.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait of a man with glasses. 1960s. Paper, watercolor, 35.5x24.5 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947...
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait. 1961. Watercolor on paper, 29, 5x21 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. 1961. Watercolor on paper, 29,5x21 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947, she began her studies...
Paper, Watercolor
Fourteen, 20x16", pastel, framed
By Lu Haskew
Located in Loveland, CO
Fourteen by Lu Haskew Pastel 20x16" image size 30x26" framed Vintage Portrait of a young person. This painting has been in the artist's family collection since Lu painted it in the 1...
Pastel
$960Sale Price|40% Off
Kurt Scooby AKA @Channel2Scooby, Charcoal drawing, Professional Boxer,
Located in Houston, TX
Kurt Scooby AKA @Channel2Scooby is a charcoal drawing on paper. Kurt Scooby is a professional boxer who started training out of Churchill Boxing Club in Los Angeles. This drawing was taken by prominent boxing photographer Mayumi Cabrera...
Paper, Charcoal
The Three Graces Fantasy Fashion Illustration - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
For your consideration, we have a pen and ink drawing of an interpretation of The Three Graces, who strike a pose for a 1930s fashion ad. In Greek mythology, they were goddesses w...
India Ink, Board
19th century color portrait pencil pastel female subject realism
By Constance de Rothschild
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Lady Mary Stanhope" is an original pencil and pastel drawing by Constance de Rothschild. This piece depicts a woman facing to the right. The artist also cre...
Pastel, Pencil
Glamorous Palm Beach Portrait with Sun Hat - Mid Century Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
The mid-century glamour portrait of an elegant, long-necked woman in silhouette with a straw sun hat. Signed and dated Grafstrom Palm Beach 1947 - Condition is good with some scatter...
Watercolor, Pen
$34,714
Amanda
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Watercolour on paper Paper size: 16 x 22 inches Framed size: 30 x 26 inches Signed lower left
Paper, Watercolor