Light
Type Themes
Name
- Light
Description
- The theme of light is a central element in Impressionist painting. Reality, according to the Impressionists, was defined by how the human eye perceived light on objects at a given moment. For this reason, to capture natural and real light, Impressionist painters loved to paint outdoors, en plein air. With this type of painting, the Impressionists could represent reality as it appeared in different forms depending on the various phases of the day; the same subject could be painted over and over again, such as Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral series.