Light Impressions

In later 19th-century Europe, many artists reacted to rapid technological and societal change with a renewed interest in the natural world.

Artists such as John Brett (1831–1902) captured the effects and emotive qualities of light. His meticulous depiction of sunlight on the sea built on ideas promoted by the Pre-Raphaelites earlier in the century.

With the group of French artists known as Impressionists, light became a subject in itself. Claude Monet (1840–1926), Camille Pissarro (1830–1930), Alfred Sisley (1839–1899) and others ventured into the countryside to paint outdoors. These artists worked in nature to record the fleeting effects of light, atmosphere and movement, finishing their works outside. This was very unusual at a time when most landscape artists just made sketches and returned to their studios to develop them into carefully finished works. The Impressionists broke from illusionistic traditions, emphasising the paint on the surface of the canvas, flattening perspective and cropping their compositions in striking ways.

光之印象

19世纪末的欧洲，许多艺术家重新将目光聚焦到自然世界，作为对飞速发展的技术变革与社会变化的回应。

约翰·布雷特（1831—1902）等艺术家捕捉光的效果及其情感特质。他对海面上阳光的细致描绘，建立在19世纪初期拉斐尔前派所倡导的思想基础之上。

在法国印象派艺术家群体中，光线本身就是一个主题。克劳德·莫奈（1840—1926）、卡米耶·毕沙罗（1830—1930）、阿尔弗雷德·西斯莱（1839—1899）等人前往乡间探索，并进行户外绘画。这些艺术家在大自然中创作，记录光线、气氛和运动的转瞬即逝效果，在室外完成他们的创作。这在当时非比寻常，因为大多数风景画家只在户外绘制草图，然后再回到工作室将其精雕细琢成完整的作品。印象派艺术家打破了透视传统，强调画布表面的颜料、扁平化的视角和经剪裁的构图，令人惊叹。