Impressionism was a movement in the 19th century that started around the 1860's in France when artists started to exhibit their new works. Impressionism in art owes a great deal not only to the artists themselves who heralded in the new movement but to a couple of other influences as well.

Degas: Dancers at the Bar

Photography had started to come of age in the middle of the 19th century with accurate depictions of people and places. Artists such as Manet, Monet, Degas, Cézanne and Pissarro felt the pressure to develop a new style that would not compete with the "accuracy" of photography.

So, instead of accurate black and white depictions of people, landscapes, cityscapes and other subject, impressionism in art rather focused on how the eye may perceive these subjects. Bold colors, purposeful lack of detail and bold and crude brush strokes often defined impressionism in art.

During this moment, many artists moved outdoors to do plein air portraits and landscapes taking note of the strong light and shadows in the mornings and at dusk. The precision of strict lines were not adhered to and sometimes shunned in favor of overlapping colors the blended together in one's eye at a distance.

Photography at this time was only black and white, so the impressionistic painters could take liberties with their use of color. And, as the preference for the exacting nature of photography started to win hearts and minds of the public, the impressionistic artists moved toward perception rather than reality and dreaminess rather than precision.

Another influence in the middle 1800's to impressionism was the introduction of paint in premixed tubes. This standardized some colors that artists could use among themselves. No longer would artists have to grind their own pigments, add linseed oil and store them in animal bladders.

At the time that impressionism in art took root, most French artist showed their works at the Salon de Paris in order to gain recognition and commission for their work. However, the juried exhibition had strict standards that did not give an accepting nod to this new style in painting.

In 1863, so many impressionistic and other painting were refused by the Salon de Paris, that Emperor Napoleon III organized a Salon of the Refused so that the public could decide if they preferred the impressionistic paintings or not.

The reviews of this new salon were mixed but the term "impressionism" caught on with the public after a satirical, critical review by Louis Leroy.