These artists constructed their pictures with freely brushed colors that took precedence over lines and contours. Impressionism is a 19th century art movement that was originated by a group of Paris-based artists, including Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, August Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley, as well as the American artist Mary Cassatt. flâneur: A man who observes society, usually in urban settings a "people-watcher.".A distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, avenue, or passage. Vista: From Italian vista ("view, sight").En Plein air: En plein air is a French expression that means "in the open air," and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors, which is also called peinture sur le motif ("painting on the ground") in French.
Impressionists typically painted scenes of modern life and often painted outdoors or en plein air.
The individual artists achieved few financial rewards from the impressionist exhibitions, but their art gradually won a degree of public acceptance and support.