Impressionism - Light and Memory

The 19th century Impressionism movement boasted some of the most recognisable names in art history, including Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet. In 1874, a group of young artists put on a Paris exhibition that challenged the prevailing aesthetic conventions in France. The group wanted to start an art revolution. The subtle figurative brushstrokes, dynamic sense of movement and mesmerising play with light and shadow that we admire today weren’t always beloved. In fact, the Impressionists’ art was considered radical at the time, and it would take years before their iconoclastic styles were accepted by the art establishment. The Pola Museum of Art, together with the Hiroshima Museum of Art, explores the development of Impressionist paintings through various themes such as the importance of travel and memory for these painters, their modern gaze on cities, and water scapes. Seventy-three masterpieces from the museums’ collections have been selected to showcase the pleasures of French Impressionism.