Impressionism was a 19th century art movement, which began as a private association of Paris-based artists who exhibited publicly in 1874. The movement was named about 1873. The term, "impressionism" was coined by critic Louis Leroy.

Early Impressionist painters were radicals in their time, breaking many of the rules of picture making that had been set by earlier generations. Before Impressionism, history had been the accepted source of subject matter for paintings, but the Impressionists looked to many subjects in life around them. In doing so, they rejected attempts to portray ideal beauty, and instead sought the natural beauty of their surroundings at a given moment. They captured a fresh and original vision that often seemed strange and unfinished to the general public. Sometimes they painted out of doors or in "plein air" rather than in a studio, as had been the previous custom. This approach enabled them to observe nature more directly and to capture fleeting moments, especially the transient aspects of sunlight.

Impressionist paintings are easy to spot. Short, "broken" brush strokes of pure, unmixed tube colors give the appearance of spontaneity and vitality for which these paintings are noted. The surfaces of the paintings are often highly textured with thick paint, a characteristic that sets them apart from their predecessors, when artists used smooth blending, minimizing the perception that one was looking at paint on canvas. Compositions are simplified. The emphasis is upon overall effect rather than upon details.

The Impressionists combined two distinct visions; an accurate sketch of a fleeting moment and a naïve vision untainted by intellectual preconceptions. It was from both of these natural and realist traditions that their work evolved.