Rejected and Reborn

In 1874, a group of artists including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Berthe Morisot organized their own exhibition after being repeatedly rejected by the official Paris Salon.

The Impressionists broke with academic tradition in every way. They painted outdoors (en plein air), used visible brushstrokes, mixed colors right on the canvas instead of the palette, and chose subjects from modern life — train stations, cafes, and city streets rather than gods and heroes.