The Impressionist movement in France was an art movement that came to the attention of the Parisian public from the 1870s onward. The name for this movement came from a single painting, by Claude Monet, entitled Impression, soleil levant. In painting, the emphasis is on the changing qualities of light, movement, perception, and a perspective heavily influenced by Japanese prints. Analogous movements of Impressionism emerged in the areas of non-visual arts, such as literature and music, as well as other visual arts. Here, we will look at in photography.
Every art requires a certain level of mastering its skills. Today, many pieces of “art” are labeled “impressionistic” to hide this lack of mastery, whether technical or artistic. However, I am not going to go into whether or not so-and-so is an artist; your artistic skill or taste is not what I want to explore (nor mine, for that matter, though, of course, I am somewhat prejudiced!). Instead, I want to look at history and techniques which the photographer might wish to consider, including myself.
In our time, photography is ubiquitous. It is found everywhere. Imagine, though, a time when the only way to preserve the appearance of anything visually – a person, a place, a thing, an idea – was to record it with lines, color, a sculpture. To do so meant access to scarce resources, invention and exploration, and training. When photography came into being, it was nothing short of miraculous. With a long history of painting preceding it, as well as the fact photography is the recording of the visual, its pictorial elements and abilities to capture permanently a fleeting moment of time, its ability to preserve reality was its primary purpose.
Early photography took time. The result was that one move would create blur. A person might twitch in the middle of a 20-minute exposure. The sun could shift. Some things in nature simply do not hold still. I expect the early photographers were quite frustrated by all this movement! Add to the frustration of motion is the fact that early photography was plagued by a lack of permanence because of the unknown qualities of chemical processes. Reality in sharp focus, along with image stability, quite likely were driving forces behind much of the research into chemistry.
Today, there is no issue with catching reality as it happens. Our technology is far beyond that of the early 1800s, and certainly exceeds that of only five years ago. Even so, in the last 150 years, the influence of cultural art movements as they were occurring could not but impact photography once it became accessible to the general public. Our times are no different. And, because our processes, both chemical and digital, are so stable, the need to change the image beyond a mere photograph drives us today. Hence, an interest in the creative elements of photography and a manipulation of the medium beyond a mere representation of reality. This need can be seen as a driving force behind today’s impressionistic photography.
The visual is a primary part of our lives. Eyesight, unless you have a serious problem, is taken for granted. However, looking and seeing may be two very different things.
To see is a subjective experience. Seeing is taking the act of looking to a deeper level. This is where we may interpret a facial expression. We may delve deeper into an object, moving in close to gaze on minute detail, or move back to take in a wider vantage point. Whatever we do to see, we do to experience on a personal level, from whatever motivates us to go beyond the cursory glance.
I find that my photography is influenced by my study of sumi-e where the essential of something is far more important than the actual object. I also enjoy strong, graphical compositions, which can be seen in my favorite photos, and in some of my paintings. Dynamic lines and shapes are visually exciting and interesting as they lead your eye. Lines and shapes can also draw the viewer inward, into the heart of the artist.
In a gallery, whether physical or virtual, the first thing we do is look. Something suddenly attracts us, we hone in, and then begin to see. All this is subjective. A critic, though, will step back and look more objectively, and contemplate skill, rendering, compositional elements, contrast, detail, color, and so on. An artist must also do the same of his or her own work. The purpose of this is to learn from what we have done, and this becomes an impetus to continue, to learn more, to move in this or that direction. Critiquing one’s own work, and that of others, is an intellectual enterprise, while also being a subjective experience which leads to a complex of new emotions, thoughts, perspectives, and whatever else lies within. It is also another level of the artistic experience which works in strange and wonderful ways on creativity, vision, and expression.
Artists work to create expressions of an event, an experience, an emotion. Art can be visual, auditory, or experienced by other senses, such as touch or smell. Art can be kinetic – something we do physically. Art must be experienced – watching a play, seeing a painting, listening to a song, The artist experiences his own art by doing it, and then it is shared, and in the sharing, the artist moves beyond the moment and continues to grow. The same must be said for the viewer who participates by listening or seeing or doing. All together, art creates a mesh we all experience in our own unique ways, and binds us together in our humanity, creating a community whether or not we realize it, or choose to recognize or acknowledge it.
Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Temperatures rise during the day, and the desire for food with heat goes along with it. Easy to make, fresh, and with pleasant amount of heat, homemade 
Ink, Yarn & Beer 