The painting that inspired the term “Impressionism” makes its debut in America

In 1874, a group of rebellious painters, including Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas, exhibited their work in Paris. They would become known as the Impressionistsand they painted scenes from everyday life with bright colors and visible brushstrokes.

Now, an exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of that historic show has landed in Washington, DC. First shown in Paris Museum d’Orsay and now on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, “Paris 1874: the impressionist moment‘ reunites many of the paintings first seen at the 1874 exhibition, including those by Monet Impression, sunrisewhich has never before been shown in the United States.

“If there is one painting that is the absolute icon of this moment, it is that of Claude Monet Impression, sunrise,” says Kimberly Jones, curator of 19th-century French painting at the National Gallery of Art City & Country‘s Adam Rathe. “It is the painting that gave the movement its name.”

Impression, sunrise shows the port of Le Havre in the Normandy region of France. Monet seems to have painted the scene quickly. The blue-gray colors are contrasted by a rising sun that “explains the dirty patch of pink and orange in the sky,” as the Washingtonpost‘ writes Sebastian Smee. The painting’s colors, lack of detail, and mundane subject matter were all controversial artistic choices in Monet’s time.

“It is an industrial part of the port,” so Sylvie Patrywho organized the exhibition in the Musee d’Orsaytells CBS News‘Michelle Molenaar. “You see a chimney with the smoke. It’s very common, something that you usually hide. And the other reason why it was shocking at the time [is] if you look closely at this painting, it is just brush strokes. It’s very vague; it’s not ready yet. But there’s a signature and there’s a date – ’72 – so it means it’s done according to the artist.’

In 19th century France, the art world was ruled by the Paris Salonan exclusive exhibition organized by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which wanted to preserve tradition in a time of war and civil unrest. The 1874 exhibition was organized by a group of thirty outsider artists who were frustrated by the Salon’s elitist character and adherence to conservative norms.

“Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” shows some works from the controversial 1874 exhibition, such as those by Camille Pissarro Ripe and that of Berthe Morisot The cradlenext to paintings from the same period approved by the establishment, such as those by Jean-Léon Gérôme L’Eminence Grisethat was celebrated at the Salon that year.

The 1874 Impressionists exhibition featured nearly 200 works of art, but only four were sold, Patry tells CBS News. Monet in turn showed seven pastel sketches and five oil paintings, including Impression, sunrisewhich “went quite unnoticed when it was shown in 1874,” she adds.

The painting usually lives in Paris’ Marmottan Monet Museumwhere the largest collection of Monet’s works in the world can be found. Today the piece is worth it hundreds of millions of dollarsbut upon its debut one critic dismissed it as ‘an impression indeed’. The title of the artwork and the criticism provided a lasting label for the movement.

Impression, sunrise appears at the end of the show. “So all the time you see all the other themes, and then, as a big reward, you finally get to see this iconic work,” says Jones. City & Country.

“Paris 1874: the impressionist moment‘is on view through January 19, 2025 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.