Use this tic-tac-toe game to explore the motivations and inspirations of American Impressionist painters.

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Impressionism was an international art movement that first took root in France. It was born from rebellion and given direction by innovation. Artists chafed against entrenched academic constraints. Instead of realistic depictions of historical events or classical stories, artists wanted to capture their fleeting experiences. Everyday spaces, not romantic or fantastical locations realigned perspectives. With this aesthetic shift, panoramas gave way to vignettes and heroic narratives gave way to poetic expressions. Truth was to be found in the luminous and transitory light, not in static forms. To capture these spontaneous impressions, this art of immediacy adopted saturated colors applied with energetic brushstrokes.

Artists wanted to paint scenes of modern life the way they saw them. And innovations were changing the way artists saw the world.

• The invention of premixed oil paints in metal tubes encouraged outdoor (en plein air) landscape studies.
• Advances in photography acclimated viewers to the expressive potential of candid compositions and abrupt croppings.
• New trade agreements introduced Japanese woodblock prints and an eastern aesthetic to European markets.
• Synthetic pigments liberated artists, allowing them to paint what they saw brighter, bolder, and faster.

While inspired by French Impressionism, American artists introduced their own take on the art movement. Distinctly American landscapes set the stage for everyday scenes. American optimism, not academic rebellion, tempered some of Impressionism’s more radical penchants. America’s burgeoning professional class offered new subjects and a new marketplace.

Each of the nine galleries has four paintings, three by the same Impressionist artist and one by another artist who shared an interest or style. Can you pick which painting is not like the others? Notice and Note will help you fine-tune your observational skills and enhance your understanding of the art.