Impressionism

Impressionism was an art movement of the 19th century, which began as a private association of Paris-based artists who exhibited publicly in 1874. The term impressionism originated from art critic Louis Leroy, who commented on Monet's painting 'Impression: Soleil Levant'. Leroy said that it indeed was just an impression and that the work could not be considered finished. The impressionists adopted this term and decided to use it for their own benefit . Early impressionist painters were considered radical in their time because they broke many of the rules of the picture-making that had been set by earlier generations . They found many of their subjects in life around them rather than in history, which was then the accepted source of subject matter for paintings.