Impressionism

Impressionism was an art movement that originated as a Paris-based art association in the 1860s. The movement title comes from Claude Monet work named "Impression, Sunrise".
In the same way as Romanticism was opposite to the Enlightenment 60 years ago, Impressionism was a revolutionary movement for its epoch. Its features included open composition, brush strokes, ordinary object of painting and its main characteristics that was light. Impressionists claimed that every scene can be painted with light and light is the best expressive medium.
They also concentrated on the application of colours that were freely brushed, confirming that colour is the main form of self-expression. Another eminent feature of that movement was that painters took the act itself out of studio into the world. Their main objective lied in "catching" the momentary effects that could be see in the open air. Staying outdoors made them closer to life and wild nature.
They mixed colours adding only short strokes achieving the effect of intense colour vibration.
The most famous impressionist came from France. They were Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro and Paul Cezanne.
At first hostile, the public got accustomed to the positive nature of Impressionism. Nonetheless, Impressionism didn't receive acclaim of the art critics and establishment.