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Sarah Allen

To examine whether or not the exhibition of 1886 was in fact an end to impressionism

it is helpful first to note a distinction between impressionism as a style and impressionism

as a movement. 1886 may indeed have been marked as an end to impressionism as a

dominant movement of allied artists at the time, however impressionism as a style which

has a distinctive manner continued after 1886, albeit it mainly by the longstanding

‘true’ impressionists. New movements and artistic endeavors did start to surface after

1886.

To say that the impressionist style had certain quintessential traits we would consider

different factors such as the style, technique and subject matter of the artist as well as the

meaning of their work. Taking these aspects into consideration clarifies the implications

of the word ‘impressionism’. And we can then examine whether or not these traits

became obsolete after 1886.


When considering the demise of impressionism in 1886 one cannot overlook bold facts.

Simply the reality that 1886 was the last exclusive impressionist exhibition as well as the

fact that only half of the major impressionist artists submitted paintings supports the

argument. Monet, along with Renoir did not participate likewise with Caillbotte, and

Raffaëlli. Monet participated along with Renoir and Raffaëlli in Petit’s Exposotion

Internationale. So the final exhibition saw the fervent impressionists pursuing different

exhibitions, and later on even a return to the Salon in Monet’s case, saying it was the

“high stakes he would play” for commercial reasons. Because so many of the original

players were absconding the word...