There have been so many movements throughout art history, but there is one that stands out from the rest of the crowd. The movement would be impressionism. Today, I am going to talk about why impressionism is compatible with teenagers and not just an outdated style. The reasons are that it has greatly impacted contemporary art, there is more than just paintings,  and it is so much more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing than other art.

First off, how did it influence today’s art forms? Cartoon, anime, and many other art forms are incredibly popular with our generation today, but how did it come to be that way? To answer this question, we need to look deeper into the history of the art form. The name impressionism actually came from a very famous expression known as Impression, Sunrise or Impression, Soleil Levant in French. As emperor Napoleon the III rebuilt Paris and the country was going through an era of change, the Academie des Beaux-Arts dominated the art scene. It was extremely traditional and formal. It preferred subjects that were more religious, mythological, or historical, and paintings were extremely realistic. Boring, right? The rules were very rigid. In the 1860s, four young painters named Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Bazille rejected those old notions as they preferred painting en plein air, or outdoors in the countryside. The art show run by the academy, known as Salon de Paris, rejected their works. It became extremely controversial and the term “impressionist” was actually quite derogatory.  How cool and rebellious were they? However, it soon took over and became an extremely popular art style at the turn of the century. Therefore, this movement is extremely crucial and vital to the future development of art. They were the first in western art history to abandon tradition so radically and break the rules in such a dramatic manner. Its rejection of realism paved the way for unrealistic art styles we have to do such as cartoon.

Next, the movement encompassed far more than just paintings. Although it started off with painting and paintings remains the most famous form of impressionism, it spanned over various art forms such as sculpture, photography, film, music, and literature. In terms of sculpture, Auguste Roudin was known for using roughly modeled surfaces to suggest transient light effects, a technique similar to that of the impressionists. Pictorialists are  photographers known for using soft focus and atmospheric effects and have been considered Impressionists. There was even a group of French filmmakers who used techniques and decors that made their films somewhat resemble impressionist paintings. These filmmakers included Abel Gance, Jean Epstein, Germaine Dulac, Marcel L’Herbier, Louis Delluc, and Jean Renoir. It also greatly influenced classical music. The romantic era was already known for its emotion and freedom from rigidity but impressionist music took it to the next level. It was categorized by its use of uncommon scales and preference for forms such as nocturne, prelude, and arabesque. The music sounds as if it is drops of water as the notes are very light and delicate. Composers included Ravel and Debussy among many others. One of the most famous piano songs, Gymnopédie no.1 Lent et Douloureux by Erik Satie is actually an impressionist piece. Literature that uses details to convey impressions rather than interpretation of emotions is often considered part of impressionism. Some of these authors and poets included  Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, and Verlaine, Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, and Joseph Conrad. There are simply so many forms of art to explore in impressionism besides painting! Which one suits you?

Finally, it is so aesthetically pleasing. There are many features that make a painting impressionist. First is the complementary colors technique. Contrasting colors such as certain shades of orange and of blue were paired to create balance. Dark colors and black were often avoided as these painters opted for bright, sunny, and light colors instead. Wet paint was usually painted over paint that was still wet, to soften the edges and mix them a bit. As I mentioned earlier, these paintings depicted beautiful natural and rural landscapes rather than traditional formal subjects. Therefore it was often painted en plein air, or outdoors, and featured natural light in the paintings. Finally, the most recognizable feature is short thick strokes. They can be described as little swigglies that formed a picture. This makes impressionist paintings extremely beautiful, lively, ethereal, aesthetic, and pleasing to the eye.

As for jerk talk, there are so many things people can say against my claim. Some may say that this form of art is too archaic and conventional for contemporary culture. They may point out that the fashion and other culture aspects such as architecture in these paintings are of some other time. However, some things remain timeless. For example, nature and the outdoors. Most of these featured outdoor natural and rural scenic landscapes. Nearly all of these landscapes probably exist and must look virtually the same. If you go to France now, you can actually visit Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny where he painted many of his most famous works such as the Water Lilies series.

Because of various reasons such as a unique history, multiple art forms, and beautiful aesthetics, impressionism remains extremely popular and should be enjoyed by contemporary teenagers too. I hope everyone enjoyed my presentation, learned a lot, and is now convinced to start loving impressionism.