Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, July 11, 2026
Elizabeth Van Hest explains that Impressionism originated as a radical movement by artists in Paris who experimented with capturing light and shadow. The term itself was initially a criticism but was embraced by the artists who called themselves 'independent' and rebelled against the conservative art establishment.
“They were rebels, outcasts of the Paris art scene.”
“It was in fact, never introduced by the painters themselves or art specialists. No, it was in fact a negative criticism because, you know, when the painters who started to paint in the open air and use a different kind of technique, not composition anymore, not mixing your colors on your palette. No, they started to paint directly on the canvas and you as a spectator, you are going to mix the colors.”
“And then an art critic came inside and said, Haha, haha, look at that. That is called impressionism. And this word became well-known, although the painters themselves called themselves independent.”