Impressionism

DK Eyewitness Books

by Jude Welton

Between the 1860s and 1880s, a group of revolutionary young artists based in Paris developed a new way of depicting the world around them. The paintings they produced have since become world famous, and include some of the best-loved works in Western art. Condemned by the art critics of the day, artists such as Monet, Renoir and Degas broke with tradition by painting scenes from life, set in and around Paris. Often leaving the studio to paint in the open air, they painted with daringly sketchy brushstrokes, and abandoned the principles of classical composition in favour of focal points inspired by photography and Japanese art. Above all, they captured with breathtaking skill the brilliant colours of nature and the ever-changing effects of light. Featuring colour reprodutions of great Impressionist paintings and including in-depth studies of important works, this guide takes a fresh look at this popular and highly influential art movement.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Jude Welton has a 10-year-old son with Asperger's Syndrome. Originally trained as a child psychologist specializing in autism, she is a freelance writer, writing mainly on the arts. She recently started writing about and for children with AS.

Reviews

[lprater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of literature unit:

This Eyewitness Book examines the impressionist style and includes information and art work from numerous notables, such as Renoir, Degas, Monet and Seurat. The book explores interesting developments in the art world, such as the relationship of complementary colors and the increase in the type and availability of artistic supplies, such as paint. Readers can think about how new knowledge and different resources influenced the way artists painted during the late 1800s. I particularly enjoyed a small scene painted by Monet on his artist palette, from which he began with six blobs of paint around the edge. Readers will also enjoy learning about how artists studied people, animals and everyday life through sketches and sculptures to hone their artistic craft. The book contains many full color quality images of famous pieces of artwork combined with easy to read text written in a format to keep the reader’s attention. I would recommend this book for grades 4-12.

[Amanda Pless · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of color images of Impressionism as well as detailed descriptions of the artist and artwork. The book high lights the techniques and processes that were used in the artworks. This book is good for both elementary and secondary students.