Presidential kidnappings, economic imperialism, and World War III ever approaching: The information we are bombarded with from news stations, social media, or television can often feel like a monotonous stream of things that feel so much bigger than us. So how can one possibly live their life without curling up into a ball on the floor because they can’t fix the problems of the world? The answer could be thinking like an impressionist painter.
Impressionism is an art movement that was popularized around 1870 during the start of New Imperialism, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, and intense industrialization (sounds familiar, right?). At the start of the movement, popular artists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir were criticized for their rushed brush strokes and use of vibrant colors compared to the realism and romanticism of painters like Eugène Delacroix. As the world’s problems persisted, viewers became more and more open to the new artists’ style, allowing them to eventually become world renowned for their ability to appreciate and capture the beauty of everyday, fleeting moments in life.
The word “impression” explains the movement’s main point: appreciate the world as what you see, or, in other words, acknowledge the beauty of the world around you. Painting was often done outside, as an artist would paint exactly what they saw. One of Monet’s most famous pieces is “Impression Sunrise,” which depicts the sunrise from a dock as boats pass by. Most people may pass by that scene without taking a moment to appreciate the vibrant, natural colors of the world around, but Monet felt the beauty and the peacefulness of the scene was so compelling that he painted it.
Edgar Degas took a different approach; he chose to see the beauty in the unpolished-ness of a ballet class. His pieces depicted the beauty of artists behind the scenes, before the polished finished product of their dance.
Joaquín Sorolla chose to depict happy families on the beach; he captured the joy of youth and discovery.
So, what do I mean when I urge you to live like an impressionist painter? I mean appreciate the scenes around you–the ones that maybe not everyone will. In a world so similar to the one that nurtured impressionism, you can get through tough times by appreciating the beauty of the world and the joy of human relationships. Do not ignore the atrocities happening on a large scale but remember that it is okay to zoom into the world around you, to appreciate the beauty in the fleeting, and to be grateful to see something as simple as people interacting with each other. Being grateful for the world around you will open your mind and make you understand that no matter how bad things get, the world will remain beautiful in as many different ways as it needs to be. The world as we know it may be torn limb from limb but the resilience of humanity, kindness, color, and nature will continue forever.
