Abstract vs. Impressionism — What's the Difference?

Art that prioritizes internal expression over realistic representation.

Uses visible brushstrokes to create a sense of movement.

Encourages exploration of the medium itself.

Focuses on outdoor scenes and the changing qualities of light.

Focuses on the emotional content detached from physical form.

Captures the impression of a moment, especially in terms of light and color.

Can be interpreted in various ways by different viewers.

Represents a departure from traditional realism.

Utilizes shapes and colors without depicting specific objects.

Seeks to portray the essence of the subject rather than its details.

Considered apart from concrete existence

Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. Impressionism originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s.

Not applied or practical; theoretical.

Often Impressionism A theory or style of painting originating and developed in France during the 1870s, characterized by concentration on the immediate visual impression produced by a scene and by the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light.

Difficult to understand; abstruse

A literary style characterized by the use of details and mental associations to evoke subjective and sensory impressions rather than the re-creation of objective reality.

Denoting something that is immaterial, conceptual, or nonspecific, as an idea or quality

(Music) A style of art music of the late 1800s and early 1900s, often evoking a dreamy mood and characterized by modal or whole-tone scales, rich and often dissonant harmonies in unconventional progressions, and the avoidance of traditional forms.

Impersonal, as in attitude or views.

(arts) a movement in art characterized by visible brush strokes, ordinary subject matters, and an emphasis on light and its changing qualities

Having an intellectual and affective artistic content that depends solely on intrinsic form rather than on narrative content or pictorial representation

(music genre) a style that avoided traditional harmony, and sought to invoke the impressions of the composer

A statement summarizing the important points of a text.

(poetry) a style that used imagery and symbolism to portray the poet's impressions

Something abstract.

The theory or method of suggesting an effect or impression without elaboration of the details; - a disignation of a recent fashion in painting and etching.

An abstract of title.

A school of late 19th century French painters who pictured appearances by strokes of unmixed colors to give the impression of reflected light

To take away; remove

To remove without permission; steal

To consider (an idea, for example) as separate from particular examples or objects

(ăbstrăkt′) To write a summary of; summarize

To create artistic abstractions of (something else, such as a concrete object or another style)

An abridgement or summary of a longer publication.

Something that concentrates in itself the qualities of a larger item, or multiple items.

Concentrated essence of a product.

(medicine) A powdered solid extract of a medicinal substance mixed with lactose.

An abstraction; an abstract term; that which is abstract.

The theoretical way of looking at things; something that exists only in idealized form.

(arts) An abstract work of art.

(real estate) A summary title of the key points detailing a tract of land, for ownership; abstract of title.

(obsolete) Derived; extracted.

Drawn away; removed from; apart from; separate.

Not concrete: conceptual, ideal.

Insufficiently factual.

Apart from practice or reality; vague; theoretical; impersonal; not applied.

(grammar) As a noun, denoting a concept or intangible as opposed to an object, place, or person.

Difficult to understand; abstruse; hard to conceptualize.

Separately expressing a property or attribute of an object that is considered to be inherent to that object: attributive, ascriptive.

Pertaining comprehensively to, or representing, a class or group of objects, as opposed to any specific object; considered apart from any application to a particular object: general, generic, nonspecific; representational.

(archaic) Absent-minded.

(arts) Pertaining to the formal aspect of art, such as the lines, colors, shapes, and the relationships among them.

Free from representational qualities, in particular the non-representational styles of the 20^th century.

(music) Absolute.

(dance) Lacking a story.

Being a partial basis for subclasses rather than a complete template for objects.

(transitive) To separate; to disengage.

(transitive) To remove; to take away; withdraw.

To steal; to take away; to remove without permission.

(transitive) To summarize; to abridge; to epitomize.

To conceptualize an ideal subgroup by means of the generalization of an attribute, as follows: by apprehending an attribute inherent to one individual, then separating that attribute and contemplating it by itself, then conceiving of that attribute as a general quality, then despecifying that conceived quality with respect to several or many individuals, and by then ideating a group composed of those individuals perceived to possess said quality.

To extract by means of distillation.

(transitive) To consider abstractly; to contemplate separately or by itself; to consider theoretically; to look at as a general quality.

To withdraw oneself; to retire.

(transitive) To draw off (interest or attention).

To perform the process of abstraction.

To create abstractions.

To produce an abstraction, usually by refactoring existing code. Generally used with "out".

Withdraw; separate.

Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult.

Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; - opposed to concrete; as, honesty is an abstract word.

Abstracted; absent in mind.

To withdraw; to separate; to take away.

To draw off in respect to interest or attention; as, his was wholly abstracted by other objects.

To separate, as ideas, by the operation of the mind; to consider by itself; to contemplate separately, as a quality or attribute.

To epitomize; to abridge.

To take secretly or dishonestly; to purloin; as, to abstract goods from a parcel, or money from a till.

To separate, as the more volatile or soluble parts of a substance, by distillation or other chemical processes. In this sense extract is now more generally used.

To perform the process of abstraction.

That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief.

A state of separation from other things; as, to consider a subject in the abstract, or apart from other associated things.

An abstract term.

A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance.

A concept or idea not associated with any specific instance;

A sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

Consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

Make off with belongings of others

Consider apart from a particular case or instance;

Give an abstract (of)

Existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment;

Not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature;

Based on specialized theory;

Dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention;

Impressionism is an art movement focused on capturing the momentary, sensory effect of a scene, especially the light and its qualities.

Abstract art detaches from reality, focusing on internal expression, whereas Impressionism captures real-life moments with an emphasis on light and movement.

Abstract art may include elements of the figurative but typically moves away from direct representation.

Yes, Impressionism influenced abstract art by breaking away from traditional realism and exploring new ways of seeing and depicting the world.

Abstract art uses shapes, forms, colors, and lines to create compositions that may not represent reality directly.

Famous abstract artists include Wassily Kandinsky, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock.

Both movements sought to break away from traditional forms of art to explore new expressions and perceptions, though in different ways.

Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro are among the most famous Impressionist artists.

Impressionism faced criticism for its loose brushwork and lack of detail, which contrasted sharply with the detailed, polished finish of academic painting at the time.

Abstract art employs a wide range of techniques to express ideas abstractly, while Impressionism uses specific techniques like visible brushstrokes to capture light and movement.

The development of abstract art was influenced by the desire to create art that expressed more than could be seen, exploring emotions and ideas beyond physical appearance.

Responses can vary; abstract art often evokes personal, subjective interpretations, while Impressionism might be appreciated for its aesthetic beauty and innovative techniques.

Light is central to Impressionism, as it focuses on capturing the transient effects of light on subjects to convey the impression of a particular moment.

Yes, artists have combined elements of both movements, creating works that blur the lines between abstract expression and impressionistic representation.

Both movements have significantly influenced modern art, encouraging experimentation with form, color, and technique.