The Critique that Named a Movement

Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1873.

Despite the setbacks Monet faced, his time with Gleyre’s studio introduced him to a number of other artists which he formed a great camaraderie with. When Women in the Garden was rejected by the Salon, Monet joined artists Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, and Renior in creating their own exhibition. However, organizing such a large, independent exhibition required time, money, and contacts. Furthermore, the public was typically uninterested in independent work and the exhibition would be the target of criticism from other experienced artists. Despite this, Monet and his friends opened the first Impressionist Exhibition on April 15th, 1874, featuring one hundred and sixty-five different works. 

One of the paintings featured at this exhibition was Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. Impression, Sunrise was critiqued by artist Louis Leroy. Leroy degraded the painting to a simple sketch, a mere “impression” of the sunrise. To him, it was an incomplete piece of work. This critique is what inspired the name “impressionism” for the greater artistic movement.