Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Emerging in 19th-century France, Impressionist art embraced loose brushwork and plein-air painting to respond to the movement of daily life. Although the pioneers of the Impressionist movement — Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir — are now household names, their work was a radical break with an art scene led and shaped by academic traditions for around two centuries. These academies had oversight of a curriculum that emphasized formal drawing, painting and sculpting techniques and historical themes.
The French Impressionists were influenced by a group of artists known as the Barbizon School, who painted what they witnessed in nature. The rejection of pieces by these artists and the later Impressionists from the salons culminated in a watershed 1874 exhibition in Paris that was staged outside of the juried systems. After a work of Monet’s was derided by a critic as an unfinished “impression,” the term was taken as a celebration of their shared interest in capturing fleeting moments as subject matter, whether the shifting weather on rural landscapes or the frenzy of an urban crowd. Rather than the exacting realism of the academic tradition, Impressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings represented how an artist saw a world in motion.
Many Impressionist painters were inspired by the perspectives in imported Japanese prints alongside these shifts in European painting — Édouard Manet drew on ukiyo-e woodblock prints and depicted Japanese design in his Portrait of Émile Zola, for example. American artists such as Mary Cassatt and William Merritt Chase, who studied abroad, were impacted by the work of the French artists, and by the late 19th century American Impressionism had its own distinct aesthetics with painters responding to the rapid modernization of cities through quickly created works that were vivid with color and light.
Find a collection of authentic Impressionist art on 1stDibs.
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A solitary rider journeys through a secluded section of a town, arousing curiosity about his destination. The interplay of colors and shapes within the composit...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
The fishing boats in San Pedro are rich in historical color. They are passed down from generation to generation. The painting draws attention to the foreground ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
In the San Francisco Bay, just beyond Sausalito, weathered shacks stand abandoned along the water's edge. The sun peeks through the overcast sky, casting enchan...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
An abandoned warehouse stands quietly on the side roads of Camarillo, California. Despite the gray, overcast day, the building still displays intriguing colors....
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A dry dock pier in Avila, California brims with history and activity. In this instance, a small boat is on its way to a well-deserved overhaul. It passes by lar...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
While visiting a friend in Brandon, Vermont, artist Thomas Hoerber spots an old, abandoned barber shop. The town brims with quaint history. One cannot help but ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
A cluster of shacks perches on the shallow side of the water. During a trip to Sausalito, California, artist Thomas Hoerber detours to the back of San Francisco...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
While traveling in the Pacific Northwest, artist Thomas Hoerber photographed this scene during a small break in the overcast sky. The sun slowly broke through, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
19th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1860s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Carbon Pencil
1940s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1940s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Graphite, Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil, Watercolor, Ink
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
19th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
1890s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
1970s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1970s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
1980s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Masonite, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1940s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Charcoal, Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Crayon, Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1880s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Crayon, Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Pastel
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
1950s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Permanent Marker, Ink
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Amidst the intricate architectural details and timeless appeal of a brick building, the presence of people engaged in their daily routines brings vibrancy to th...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1940s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
1980s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel, Gouache
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
Late 19th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
1980s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Oil Pastel
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Crayon, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Crayon, Pencil
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 2000s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor