Project: Impress with Impressionism

Contextualization

Impressionism was an artistic movement that emerged in 19th century France, breaking with the conventions of then-current academic art and giving start to modern art. Unlike the historical, mythological and religious themes, impressionists aimed to portray daily life scenes, urban and rural landscapes. Another remarkable characteristic of Impressionism is its unique painting technique, in which loose brush strokes and mixing colors conveyed the impression of luminosity in the artworks.

Impressionist artists were interested in capturing the changing effects of light and colors according to weather conditions and time of the day. Unlike traditional artists, who focused on the perfection and realism of the portrayed scene, impressionists were less concerned with the faithfulness to detail and more concerned about transmitting the impression those scenes caused in the observer. The name impressionism was given to the movement exactly because of this characteristic.

Importance of Impressionism

Impressionism was a pioneering and highly important movement in the art world, as it inaugurated the start of modern art. The impressionist artists broke with the restrictive rules of academia and paved the way for experimentation and freedom of expression in the arts. The influence of Impressionism can be observed in later movements, like Post-Impressionism and Expressionism.

Another important point about Impressionism is its focus on the direct observation of nature and daily life scenes. Such way of looking at the surrounding world influenced the manner by which contemporary artists express their worldviews.

To further your understanding of the subject, here are some suggested sources:

• Art History: Impressionism
• Impressionism on Encyclopedia Itau Cultural
• Impressionism: Artistic Movement

Practical Activity: "Impress with Impressionism"

Project Objective

The students shall create an original art piece, inspired by the principles and techniques of Impressionism, and prepare a detailed report about the production process. The activity aims at fostering students' understanding of the concepts and aesthetics of Impressionism, as well as promoting creativity, critical thinking and collaborative work.

Detailed Description of the project

Each group, formed by 3 to 5 students, shall be responsible for selecting a daily life scene or environment to portray (such scene can be the schoolyard, an urban scene or even a domestic scene) and applying the impressionist techniques to the painting. Furthermore, a written report shall be drafted in order to detail the process and the production experience.

The groups will be encouraged to research and discuss the theory and aesthetics of Impressionism, aiming to apply such concepts to their artworks. All the stages of the activity will be collaborative so to foster teamwork and exchange of ideas.

Required materials

• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes of different sizes
• Cardstock, canvas or any other appropriate surface to paint on
• Camera or smartphone to document the process
• Computer to research and draft the report

Detailed Step-by-step instructions for the activity

1. Research and Discussion: Students shall start by conducting collaborative research on Impressionism. Throughout the research, they shall discuss the movement's concepts, aesthetics and history, selecting images from impressionist artworks which inspire them.

2. Planning: After researching, the groups shall select the scene or environment they will portray on their painting. It is important to reach a consensus regarding this choice, considering everyone's perceptions and interests.

3. Production: Once the scene is chosen, the students shall start painting. Throughout the process, they shall try to apply the Impressionism techniques, focusing on representing light and colors through loose and expressive brush strokes.

4. Photo Documentation: It is important that the groups document the whole production process through photographic records - from the research and discussion, to the painting, and the assessment. Such records will be helpful to prepare the final report.

5. Report Writing: When the artwork is finished, the students shall prepare a detailed report about its production process. The report shall comprise an introduction about the relevance of Impressionism and the project's goals, a detailed discussion about the movement's theory and aesthetics, a description of the production process with records, and a conclusion reflecting about the experience and the lessons learned.

Output

Each team's final product shall be an original artwork inspired by Impressionism and a written report which records the experience of such production process. The report should be illustrated with images from the process and of the final piece, as well as a list of references from the sources used for the research.

In the report writing, the students shall explore Impressionism's concepts and aesthetics, and shall discuss how such elements have been applied to their artwork. It is important for the report to be well-structured, and for students to be able to clearly and thoroughly convey their understanding of the discussed themes and lessons learned.