Импрессионизм

Art Essentials

by Ralph Skea, Ральф Ски

It is often forgotten just how provocative and unsettling impressionist canvases seemed when they were first exhibited in 1874. Critics, professional artists, and gallery visitors alike were shocked to encounter the unorthodox paintings on display, with their seemingly unfinished surfaces and lack of any elements of traditional composition. The advocates of this new approach rejected nearly all the established principles and practices of oil painting prevalent at that time in France.


Tracing the origins and history of impressionism in a concise, introductory volume, Ralph Skea highlights the major differences between the new techniques and aesthetic principles of the impressionists and the academic art they abhorred, and goes a step further in exploring the original intellectual focus of the movement. Skea explores the impressionists’ desire to investigate their own sensory perceptions when painting, which resulted in their unique “impressions.”


An ideal companion for museum-goers, as well as those who are entirely new to the subject, Impressionism weaves an engaging narrative around a selection of striking illustrations, discussing the movement’s greatest artists, their works and where to find them.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Micah Van Holten · Rating 4 out of 5]

very pretty, very nice, very wholesome, but it kept on bringing up van gogh over and over again. i do not care about vincent and i did not ask for his opinion on every artist. please let him be.
otherwise it was a good read.

[Elena Stefanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how thorough yet accessible this was. I would like to read more from the 'art essentials' series.

[Tatiana Malyutina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Отличная книга для знакомства с импрессионизмом в целом, и с именитыми художниками этого направления в частности. Описание идёт от истоков до 50х гг. ХХ в. Очень порадовали иллюстрации знаменитых полотен в замечательном качестве. Даже после прочтения книгу можно сохранить для вдохновения.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressionism... a perfect blend of famous and lesser known paintings, art history, and the stories behind artists in the Impressionist movement. Tiny bits of information were offered throughout, highlighting explanations for painting certain subjects or why a composition was framed in a certain way by the artist, much like casual banter provided on a museum tour by a docent.

[John Loy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a complete Novice when it comes to Understanding or Viewing Art. I found this book extremely informative and I am walking away with a greater understanding of impressionism, its works, the artist and styles. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to gather more knowledge of the art world.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enlightening - liked Degas the best.

[nel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovely images, but supporting text was disjointed and repetitive.

[Meena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved reading this book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un cours essai pour aborder l’impressionnisme. Il est très bien construit, avec des reproductions de tableaux très soignées. C'est didactique et plaisant à lire, alors c'est un grand oui pour moi !

De mon côté, je n'ai pas forcément appris grand chose, ayant déjà beaucoup lu sur le sujet mais j'ai apprécié les chapitres sur l'impressionnisme étasunien et australien, et sur les héritiers de ce mouvement.