Impressionist Brushstrokes

Broken spaced Brushstrokes are used to communicate two distinct ideas. The first being representational brushstrokes for realistic interpretations and second for expressionistic brushstrokes playing with abstract ideas the latter is improvisation the former representational. Together viewers receive visual impressions of feeling and substance. Broken spaced gaps in between allow under colors to shine.

This interplay is of brushstrokes is one of the hallmarks of impressionism. The masters of impressionism have distinct brushwork. I call this signature brushstrokes. This is the hand of the artist, so we are to paint our impressions through our character. In this regard, your brushstroke is your brand.

Masters’ brushstrokes – copy the strokes of your favorite artist to learn.

 Practice your signature with your brush to allow your hand to do what you do naturally

Brushstroke elements are: 

✓     charge amount – how much paint is on or in the brush

✓     viscosity – consistency of the paint within the brush

✓     speed – the pace energy of the brush

✓     pressure – the sensitivity and strength of the artist hand on the brush

✓     direction – the range of motion

Two Fundamental Types of Strokes

These two different types contrast and complement one another, providing the artist creative latitude to express his or her moment cohesively. These Brushstrokes are used to communicate two distinct ideas.

Illustrative stroke – communicates what matters, painting the object, it needs to follow the object. (for representational expression) – Illustrative is a kind of descriptive brushwork that simulates reality

Expressive stroke – more abstract has its own rights, not other than itself, an emotional a fragment, that does not follow confines of logic or the form or perspective. (for poetic expression) – Expressive brushwork mirrors passion and feelings

The ephemeral and momentary in life inspires impressionists to use a shorthand-coded brushstrokes. 

At the core of impressionist brushwork is an alla prima methodology composed of illustrative and expressionist brushstrokes. Illustrative and expressionistic brushstrokes are common for most impressionistic artworks because the artist that made them desires that the viewer understand what they are looking at and imagine what they are feeling. Both Illustrative and expressionistic brushstrokes are unlike the craft of classical and academy schools of painting, which were meticulous to smooth their paint into elaborate under painting, body painting and/or glazing methods. In contrast the Impressionists used short, personalized paint strokes and were unconcerned if their brush strokes were visible to the point of thick impasto.

Representational Illustrative Brushstrokes for realistic interpretations and second for Expressionistic Brushstrokes playing with abstract ideas the latter is improvisation the former representational. Together viewers receive visual impressions of feeling and substance. It must be noted that this interplay of brushstrokes is one of the hallmarks of Impressionism. What’s fascinating is the Masters of Impressionism have distinct brushwork. I call this - “Signature Brushstrokes”. This is the hand of the artist to this I say - “Your Brushstrokes Are Your Brand”. So distinctively we are to paint impressions of life now through our individualized character of brushstrokes.

Illustrative Brushstrokes are characteristic of replicating representational image the goal is to provide explanatory reasoning. Illustrative Brushstrokes are descriptive and exemplify ideas about forms and space. If an object is flat, angled, concave or convex in either aerial or mathematical perspective if rationality is employed it is illustrative. Artists who are inspired by more of a realistic, photographic and or classical feel to their impressionism will choose illustrative brushstrokes. However, most of my students desire to be looser and freer with impressionism than competing with photographs. The aspiration of impressionist painters especially those in plein air is to have the right mix of freedom and control.

Expressionistic Brushstrokes are abstracted and provide feelings and moods rather than objectivity. One could describe them as poetic and improvisational. I believe they are ideal to use when painting an indescribable but fascinating area in your composition. This approach works beautifully for areas that are not focal point. You will be able to paint faster when you don’t have to spell everything out. Consider leaving certain sections more abstract the goal here is to communicate what you feel. Reveal your sensations in the moment like Jazz improvisations. So for more passion zest in your painting use your own unique expressionistic brushstrokes.

Study the master’s brushstrokes

Look at the Impressionist masterworks and count how many different groups or types of brushstrokes there are. To do this arrange the different kinds of brushstrokes into major and minor patterns. Here the overall look and feel or even interplay of these brushstrokes as a body is called surface integrity.  This is the overall visual impact that appears in the eye-brain of the viewer.

As a field texture of major and minor brushstroke patterns creating each individual artists personalized surface integrity. Think of some of your favorite classical or jazz music. Imagine some instruments playing low bass notes as movements in the background while high notes play lyrically in the foreground. The two become one Surface integrity is similar, the texture, the feel or music of the painting is the signature of the artist. Each layered group of brushstroke plays with its associates to become a visual music for the eye.

Surface Integrity is also the signature of the artist. 

The movement of paint on the picture plain is Surface Integrity.  Impressionists work hard to vibrate the different visual frequencies of paint groupings to create a sensation. These artists create a sensory awareness that form an impression in the viewer’s eye brain. The surface integrity changes according to viewer’s proximity. When up close the patterns of broken spaced strokes look sketchy and disarrayed.  At a distance…a few yards away - the patterns correspond and optically mix to a great pleasing advantage.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, John Henry Twachtman, James Alden Weir, and Claude Monet used broken spaced brushstrokes to produce the impressionist effect. Each master crafted his or her own signature brushstrokes, which is evident when we view their paintings side by side. The surface integrity of their paintings is beautiful and unique to its creator.

Personalized Brushstrokes

Originality and innovation of personalized brushstrokes is the cornerstone of impressionist painting one does not have to see an entire painting of an impressionist in order to tell who did it. Each artist developed his or her own set of signature brushstrokes.  Close examinations of Impressionist masterworks may reveal 10 or more different types of brushstrokes per painting. Example of a typical landscape could be:  the atmosphere is painted on a right angle, the clouds and water painted horizontally, the distant trees and their reflections in the water painted vertically, and the figure standing in the foreground painted in a staccato unconnected fashion.

ASSIGNMENT: Design your own signature brushstrokes

There are many brushstroke variations students can put together such as straight, curved, long and short. Design a series of about five to eight different kinds of brushstrokes that you believe complement one another. Note how they look a different distance and under various light conditions.

Another thing to consider is the direction of your brushstroke. North, south, east and west like a compass move from up to down from left to right etc. Impressionist paintings twinkle because light reflects and transmits at different angles also when one move by to and fro the painting changes. Impressionists paint from their sensations and signature brushstrokes are the brand of each individual artist. 

Brushstrokes variations are designed to achieve

✓     shimmering and flickering light effects

✓     tactile-like sensitive textures

✓     tonal range of the environment