In terms of style, it is relatively easy to recognize an Impressionist painting. There are certain characteristics that make this form of art stand out, such as the rough brush strokes and colors that often tend to blend into one another. However, in order to identify an Impressionist painting, one has to be aware of the underlying philosophy and intention of this style of art. In essence, Impressionism was both a new style in the development of art and a new approach to the interaction between the artist and the subject.
             The most obvious characteristic that distinguishes an Impressionist painting from other styles and types of art can be derived from the word 'impression'. The term "Impressionistic" was a description of this style which was intended as a critique by earlier critics. The first characteristic of an Impressionistic work of art is its deviance from the more objective and representational forms of art. The philosophy behind Impressionism was that the artist should capture a fleeting impression of nature; which was translated into art through a more casual and less 'photographic" copy of nature or an object. Therefore an Impressionist painting is an attempt at creating a painting that captures the mood or feeling of a certain subject, rather than an exact copy. This also implies that Impressionistic art is more subjective in its approach and focuses on the interaction between the object being painted and the artist's feelings or impressions. The Impressionists also tended to focus on scenes from nature, especially landscapes, and they tended to paint not in the studio but in the open air.
             In order to achieve these ideals, the Impressionists used certain distinguishing techniques and this led to the artistic style that we associate with Impressionism. One of the first aspects that distinguish an Impressionist painting is the loose and short brush strokes. This is indicative of the attempt by the artist to rapidl...