Early Impressionism. Paris 1860–1879
The Salon, the first independent exhibition, railway stations, studios and leisure on the Seine.
French paintings
French artists and the stories behind their paintings. Compare court portraits, city views, still lifes and Impressionist works.
Paintings in this selection
167 artworks. Open a painting to read its story and explore its details.
Vincent van GoghThe Starry Night
June 1889
Gustave CaillebotteParis Street; Rainy Day
1877
Théodore GéricaultThe Raft of the Medusa
1818–1819
Henri MatisseThe Red Studio
Fall 1911
Mary CassattThe Child's Bath
1893
Claude MonetArrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare
1877
Berthe MorisotSummer’s Day
About 1879
Edgar DegasThe Dancing Class
About 1870
Vincent van GoghThe Bedroom. Second version
September 1889
Georges SeuratA Sunday on La Grande Jatte
1884–1886; border 1888–1889
Paul CézanneThe Basket of Apples
About 1893
Claude MonetStacks of Wheat (End of Summer)
1890–91
Claude MonetWater Lilies
1906
Claude MonetThe Beach at Sainte-Adresse
1867
Claude MonetHouses of Parliament, London
1900–1
Pierre-Auguste RenoirTwo Sisters (On the Terrace)
1881
Pierre-Auguste RenoirAcrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg)
1879
Henri de Toulouse-LautrecAt the Moulin Rouge
1892–95
Henri de Toulouse-LautrecEquestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)
1887–88
Berthe MorisotWoman at Her Toilette
1875–80
Berthe MorisotWoman in a Garden
1882–83
Paul CezanneThe Bay of Marseille, Seen from L'Estaque
c. 1885
Paul CezanneMadame Cezanne in a Yellow Chair
1888–90
Paul CezanneThe Bathers
1899-1904Start with a familiar subject. Compare several street scenes or interiors, noticing the distance from the figures, the lighting and the brushwork. Then read about each artist and the choices behind the image.
Artists
- Gustave Caillebotte
- Claude Monet
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Vincent van Gogh
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
- Berthe Morisot
- Paul Cezanne
- Nicolas Poussin
- Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
- Gustave Moreau
- Henri Matisse
- Édouard Manet
- Paul Gauguin
- Eugène Delacroix
- Jules Breton
- Paul Signac
- Jean Siméon Chardin
- Jean Antoine Watteau
- Mary Cassatt
- James McNeill Whistler
- Henry Ossawa Tanner
- Jules Bastien-Lepage
- Rosa Bonheur
- François Boucher
- Claude Lorrain
- Camille Corot
- Gustave Courbet
- Honoré Daumier
- Jacques Louis David
- Georges de La Tour
- Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
- Jean-François Millet
- Camille Pissarro
- Georges Seurat
- Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
- Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
- Henri Rousseau
- Théodore Géricault
- Jean Honoré Fragonard
- Henri Edmond Cross
- Odilon Redon
- Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
- Henri Fantin-Latour
Related art tours
After Impressionism. Four different answers
Seurat, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin changed painting for different reasons.
Domestic life. Leisure and care
Sixteen paintings about reading, music, children and the work that makes domestic comfort possible.
Women painters. Learning and working
Family workshops, academies, private commissions and independent exhibitions.
How to explore the paintings
On an artwork page, choose “Explore the painting”. Zoom in, move around the image and hide the text to see the details. Turn on the audio guide to hear the story, or use autoplay to move between passages.
Zoom quality depends on the available reproduction. Each artwork page lists its collection, story sources and image rights. Access is free and no account is required.