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Impressionism is easily the most accessible and popular style of art. It does not matter if you go to the Muse D’Orsay, in Paris, or The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City, the Impressionist galleries are perpetually packed with visitors and critics. Impressionism is a careful study of light and color. More importantly, Impressionist paintings are sumptuous, beautiful, and lush; they are not difficult to understand like Abstract or Conceptual art. There are two schools of Impressionism: the Europeans, who initiated the ideas of Impressionism, and the Americans, who often visited Europe to learn from the masters. The use of light is imperative to all Impressionist paintings.

Claude Monet is the most influential Impressionist. His beautiful images of water lilies and natural settings are dappled in light and dense, colorful brushstrokes. He influenced other Impressionist like Degas and Renoir. These artists form the trifecta of European Impressionists. Art history would argue that Cezanne may have been the first Impressionist, but he was more of an influence on the movement than an active participant. In America, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Childe Hassam used the rules and guidelines of Impressionism to create their own distinct and iconic masterpieces.