I’ve been fascinated by Impressionism since I was young, and over the last few years I’ve really been diving into how the Impressionists worked, focusing specifically on their painting techniques. I thought I’d share my top five books on Impressionist painting techniques, and why I think they’re worth reading.

I’ve ranked them from 1 to 5 based on how valuable I’ve found them in my own practice.  

1 

Callen, A. (2000). The art of Impressionism: Painting technique and the making of modernity. Yale University Press.

Callen’s book is a classic in my opinion and truly all-encompassing. You can tell how much I love this book by how worn my copy is! It not only goes into detail about the French academic method and how the Impressionists adapted it for their own purposes, but also explains the political, social, and cultural milieu of the time. The book is rich with technical information, covering the types of canvas they used, how those canvases were prepared, the oils and paints chosen, and the nuances of brushwork. Particularly fascinating are her insights into how Manet’s teacher, Thomas Couture, influenced his technique, and how the advent of photography encouraged Manet to flatten his tonal range and simplify shadows. She even covers the design and evolution of Impressionist pictures frames. For me, it’s a must-read. 

2 

Boime, A. (1986). The Academy and French painting in the nineteenth century. Yale University Press.

This book was a revelation for me because it shows that the Impressionists didn’t actually differ all that much from the French academic method. They used many of the same materials, procedures, and even stages of painting (like the ebauche, the first underpainting) that academic and Barbizon painters in the 1830s used. The real shift was ideological: they rejected the subject-matter hierarchy and the rules of finish imposed by the Academy, while using academic techniques to serve their own artistic goals. Boime’s book is incredibly well-researched and offers a clear explanation of the evolution of landscape painting technique and ideology throughout the 19th century.

3

Bomford, D., Leighton, J., Kirby, J., & Roy, A. (1990). Art in the Making: Impressionism. Yale University Press.

This book, written by world-renowned experts in Impressionism, is one of my favourites for its focus on the paint layers and surfaces of the paintings. They analyse works by all the main Impressionists using x-radiography, infrared photography, and pigment and media analysis. The evidence is largely objective rather than hearsay, and it gives a fascinating insight into how the paintings were actually made.

4 

Schaefer, I., Saint-George, C. v., & Lewerentz, K. (2008). Painting light: The hidden techniques of the Impressionists. Skira.

I like this book, published for a 2008 exhibition at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, for the same reasons I like Bomford et al. Its style and scientific approach focus on the actual techniques the Impressionists used, making it especially useful for painters.

5

House, J. (1986). Monet: Nature into Art. Yale University Press.

Monet, considered the leader of the movement, is the focus of this essential book for any Impressionist enthusiast, which carefully traces the evolution of his technique over time. What I particularly value is how House goes into the nitty-gritty of Monet’s working methods, from his early experiments in the 1860s, through his middle career in the 1870s and 1880s, to his later works of the 1890s and beyond. House explores Monet’s approach to the ébauche (the first underpainting) and how he completed his paintings, showing how his brushstrokes and style evolved as he matured. This is especially clear in the 1890s and his great series paintings, such as the poplars and water lilies, where Monet became increasingly concerned with capturing ‘effect’ and ‘atmosphere’, or the ‘envelope’, rather than objects themselves, such as boats or people.

Honourable mentions

Callen, A. (1982). Techniques of the Impressionists. Chartwell Books.

This book is essentially an abridged version of Callen’s 2000 book, making it a lot easier to digest. I like that she breaks it down by decades (1860–1870, 1870–1880, 1880–1890, and 1890–1905), exploring the major technical painting innovations of each period, with a particular focus on Impressionist techniques. There are also many close-up photographs showing details like brushwork and how the Impressionists used the ground layer to such a good effect.

Mayer, L., & Myers, G. (2013). American painters on technique: 1860-1945. Getty Publications.

Pages 173 to 193 explore the techniques of John Singer Sargent. Although he was not strictly an Impressionist, his approach, according to this book, was very similar to the typical Impressionist technique. It was interesting to learn that he and Claude Monet became good friends, and that Sargent would regularly visit Monet after he moved to Giverny in 1883.

It should be noted that Thomas Couture not only taught Manet, who had a major influence on the Impressionists, but also taught Carolus Duran, the teacher of Sargent. Couture’s place in 19th-century art history is significant because he revolutionised the painting of the ébauche (first underpainting), and both Sargent and the Impressionists adapted this approach in similar, though slightly different, ways.

Dunstan, B. (1992). Painting methods of the Impressionists. Watson-Guptill Publications.

 Bernard Dunstan was one of Great Britain’s leading representational painters. In this book, he examines and explains the techniques of not only the Impressionists, but also artists like Constable, Turner, John Singer Sargent, and Georges Seurat. I haven’t included it in my top five purely because the evidence is largely anecdotal, rather than the firm, scientific evidence found in Anthea Callen’s or Bomford et al.’s books. I’ve made it an honourable mention because it was written by such an accomplished artist who clearly knew his stuff!

The Next Book to Read

Broude, N. (Ed.). (1990). World Impressionism: The international movement, 1860-1920. H.N. Abrams. 

Since Impressionism became a worldwide movement, I’m interested in exploring how artists’ countries, cultures, and landscapes influenced their individual interpretations and techniques. This book by Broude explores exactly that and I'm looking forward to reading it. 

I would love to buy John Rewald's classic book focusing on the history of impressionism, first published in 1946, with the second edition being published in 1973. I am always on the lookout for new books, please drop a comment below if you have any suggestions! 

Happy reading!