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According to a narrow understanding of the term Impressionism, it is a direction in visual arts initiated by Parisian artists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Meanwhile, Impressionism should also be associated with music, literature and even film. 

The beginnings of impressionism

The first exhibition of the "Anonymous Community of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers" took place in 1874; the artists (rejected by the Salon jury) raised funds and rented a studio, which belonged to the photographer Nadar. 165 works by 36 artists were exhibited, including extremely famous names such as Pisarro, Monet, Renoir and Degas. It was after this event that a common name emerged for the work of a group of young artists - Impressionism. It was first used by the critic and illustrator Louis Leroy in a satirical review, he referred to one of Manet's oil paintings: "Impression of Sunrise, Le Havre" (1872).

Impressionism in painting

The Impressionists aimed to depict a fleeting reality, they painted the same buildings at different times of day, and they perceived a constantly changing reality. Moreover, their paintings gave the impression of being incomplete. Painters such as Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir or the painter Berthe Morisot broke with the rigid rules of academism. Moreover, they quite often painted in the open air.

The Polish Impressionists certainly included Władysław Podkowiński and Leon Wyczółkowski. Interestingly, two famous Polish painters of that period, Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowicz and Olga Boznańska, criticized the new art direction, the former even writing about "fools and their idiocy".

Impressionism in other fields of art

The most important Impressionist musicians include Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and the Pole Karol Szymanowski. A characteristic feature is a departure from a massive orchestral sound in favour of preferential treatment of individual instruments.

As far as literature was concerned, as in the case of the visual arts, writers were keen to depict fleeting impressions, thus abandoning realism. Writers who used impressionist means included Paul Verlaine, Stefan Żeromski and Władysław Reymont.

The first Impressionist film is considered to be Abel Gance's work entitled "The Tenth Symphony" from 1918. Directors were interested in creating the right mood, for example, evoking horror or anxiety.

Added 2022-04-29 in Terms dictionary by Alicja Graczyk

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