Impressionist Visions of Water

how impressionist artists portrayed water

Recently, I visited the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and saw their collection of impressionist pieces. These pieces cover various subjects and scenes, but what stood out most to me were the landscape pieces, specifically the ones of water.

Impressionist artists use distinctive and innovative ways to reflect water in their pieces. Some try to illustrate movement, others of light, but one common thread between these pieces is the loose and abstract brushstrokes to capture the essence of water rather than the intricate details.

Skiffs by Gustav Caillebotte

Impressionist water brushstrokes are characterized by their loose, spontaneous, and vibrant quality, which captures the play of light and atmosphere on the water. These brushstrokes are a key element in conveying the movement and fluidity of water in Impressionist paintings. These artists often used short and broken strokes to suggest texture and motion in the water, commonly in a choppy manner to represent the ripples, waves, and reflections on the water's surface. Color is another key element. Impressionists used a varied and bold color palette to convey the effects of light on the water; this diverse use of colors, ranging from cool blues and greens to warm yellows and oranges, allowed them to depict the dynamic interplay of natural elements. They also applied different colors and tones side by side, allowing the viewer's eye to mix the colors optically from a distance to create a vibrant and shimmering effect. Furthermore, the brushstrokes tend to be suggestive and less detailed to capture the essence of the scene rather than the little details to give the viewer room for interpretation and engage with the painting.

The Bridge at Argenteuil by Claude Monet

Impressionist artists also delve into the play of light in their works, particularly with depicting water. They depicted the way sunlight dances on the surface of water, creating reflections and ripples. The dappled or broken light and shadow patterns on the water's surface are a hallmark of Impressionist works. They also often conveyed the transparent and reflective nature of water. They used loose brushstrokes and a variety of colors to suggest the depth and clarity of water, often leaving parts of the canvas unpainted to convey a sense of translucency. Impressionists depicted the reflections of trees, buildings, and people on the water's surface, sometimes blurring the distinction between the reflected image and the actual scene to create a dreamlike effect. Many Impressionist painters worked outdoors (en plein air) to directly observe and capture the fleeting effects of light on water in order to create a more immediate and spontaneous representation of water. Some Impressionist artists included boats, sailboats, and other watercraft in their compositions, which added movement and life to their works and also allowed them to explore the interaction between water and man-made objects.

Thanks for reading!