Before Impressionism, landscapes rarely existed on their own without a certain context. It should be noted that there was a rise in landscapes during the Renaissance, but not to this degree. In ancient, medieval, and even early modern art, nature served stories. Mountains framed myths, forests sheltered saints, rivers marked divine intervention. Nature mattered because of what happened within it, not because of its lush appearance.
Impressionists dismantled this tradition. For one of the first times in Western art, nature no longer served gods, heroes, or moral lessons. It existed independently. Fields, rivers, skies, and gardens presented without explanation or symbolism. This was a radical shift, not just stylistically, but philosophically.
Artists like Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley painted landscapes as they appeared in specific moments. Composition mattered less than atmosphere. Light, weather, and time became the true subjects. The same haystack, cathedral, or riverbank could be painted dozens of times, each version different and equally valid and applaudable.
This repetition rejects the idea of a single, ideal view. Nature is not stable or eternal. It changes constantly depending on the season and varying views. Impressionist landscapes embrace instability, reflecting modern scientific and philosophical ideas about perception. What we see depends on time, position, and conditions. By removing gods and narratives, Impressionists also remove certainty. The landscape does not tell us what it means. It simply exists. Meaning arises through attention rather than interpretation. In this way, Impressionist landscapes reflect a modern worldview in which truth is observed, not revealed.
About the Author
Morgan Avery Mucha is a junior year art history student specializing in Ancient Greek art, with a focus on visual culture and material/ religious practice. She can read and write Ancient (Attic) Greek and has written for her academic blog, Art Abloom, for three years, engaging with classical art, archaeology, and historical interpretation.
Read more on the Honors Blog.
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