Impressionism, an influential style of painting that originated in France in the late nineteenth century, during a time of great social and cultural change, was a revolutionary art movement that had a broad-ranging impact on the development of modern art. It focused on painting “vision,” considering how we see, not what we see;

Montagne, Sainte-Victoire (Paul Cezanne, 1890-95, oil on canvas)

It preceded the development of avant-garde movements, particularly Cubism. Their interest in the abstract properties of color, light, line and form separated painting from its role as instructive and illustrative, opening it up to the freedom of individuality and emotion, leading the way for Fauvism and Expressionism in the early twentieth century.

Olive Trees (Vincent van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas)

Collectively the Impressionists sought to capture the impression of a scene through lively brushstrokes and they often worked en plein air, producing works of art rapidly in a single sitting. They influenced artists such as John Singer Sargent who applied the Impressionist approach to portraiture.

Orchard with Apricot Trees in Blossom, Arles (Vincent van Gogh, 1883, oil on canvas)

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas focused on figures in motion, such as racehorses, or the dancers at the Paris Opera. Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot and others preferred to work out of doors, capturing the changing effects of light and weather. However, Morisot was limited to domestic subjects, reflecting the restrictions on women of her social status. Henri Martin and Paul Gauguin began to paint from the imagination, while Paul Cézanne adopted a more analytical approach to landscape. Vincent van Gogh developed an expressive technique derived from Neo-Impressionism, whereby the paint was applied using dots or strokes of color.

The Big Trees (Paul Cezanne, 1902-04, oil on canvas)

The display features a selection of paintings by Impressionist artists, from Claude Monet (Haystacks, A Seascape, Shipping by Moonlight, Poplars on the Epte, etc.) to Berthe Morisot (Woman and Child in a Garden), Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (A Group of Dancers, Portrait of Diego Martelli) John Singer Sargent (Gertrude Vernon, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw) as well as later works by Paul Gauguin (Vision after the Sermon, Martinique Landscape, Vision of the Sermon, Three Tahitians, etc.), Paul Cézanne (The Big Trees, Montagne Sainte-Victoire) and Vincent van Gogh (Olive Trees, Orchard with Apricot Trees in Blossom, etc.). 

The Vision of the Sermon (Paul Gauguin, 1888, oil on canvas)

Impressionism and French Modernism, 1870-1900: Level 1, The National, The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 2EL, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 131 624 6200.  E-mail: enquiries@nationalgalleries.org. Website: www.nationalgalleries.org. Open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM.  Admission is free.

How to Get There: the museum is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street.