FREE ESSAY ON IMPRESSIONISM

IMPRESSIONISM

Impressionism relates to a style of painting and composing from the last third of the 19th
century. It was started by Claude Monet and his paintings and then worked its way into
Debussy's compositions. In painting terms this style was characterized by "short brush
strokes of bright colors...to represent the effect of light on an object"(Wechsler 6).
The music of the impressionist composers contained "hidden" images and portrayed
"reality" through music. The impressionist era was based mainly on light and the concept
of reality and used nature as a background and ordinary subjects as the foreground. 
Impressionist works of music contained some of the same characteristics of impressionist
painting. It was the breaking away from classical techniques that mainly characterized
impressionism. Debussy is to impressionist music as Monet is to painting, in that they
are both the founders of their medium in which they portray the impressionist style.
Impressionist music was like the paintings; they stirred emotions in the viewers and the
listeners. 
Debussy never considered himself an Impressionist, he considered himself a "Realist".
(Classical 1) Since he never socialized with the impressionists at their cafes and their
meetings, he isn't really considered an impressionist, although his style and works are
closely similar to those of the impressionists. Debussy laid the foundation for later
styles of music; he is noted as laying the foundation for jazz with his "different"
chords (Classical 1). Debussy was known at the time as being a rebel with his music,
because he followed no composition technique and his chords were distinctive and new.
Claude Monet is known as the father of Impressionism. He not only gave the name to the
style, he lived this new style. The name that he gave to a painting for a gallery was
"Imprsessions: Soleil Levant" which in turn became the name for the style and era. Monet
like the other impressionist painters believed in "sur - le - motif" which means painting
on the spot, not in a studio (Wechsler 58). Monet mainly focused on light, and "analyzed
the effects of changing light, in order to capture the changing conditions" (Web Museum
1). He would paint in solid colors to intensify the effects of light.
The impressionist movement at first was mocked and made fun of by its critics. The
critics claimed the works to be sloppy. It has now left an impact on the way that artists
and musicians write and paint. This could be the reason that the paintings of this period
are some of the most prized paintings in the world. The Impressionist movement stirred
emotions from the plain and ordinary subjects that were painted, with variations in light
and shadows. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
1. Wechsler, Herman. French Impressionists. Abrams, 1953.
2. The National Gallery: Exhibitions. www.NationalGallery.org.uk. 
3. Web Museum, Paris. www.ibibilo.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/
4. Classical Music Pages. W3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/Debussy.html/