The Daughters of Durand-Ruel
Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

During the Impressionist period artists and composers looked for fresh ways to express themselves by returning to the basic elements of their respective crafts and formulating novel approaches to their work. Artists went outside, painting en plein air, capturing subtle effects of light and color found only in nature. They applied their paint with small brush strokes using only a few basic colors because they realized that the blending of colors took place in the eyes of the viewer. Likewise, composers explored new scale patterns such as pentatonic, whole-tone, chromatic, and modal, creating meandering melodies with no firm tonal center. Harmonies no longer progressed to a strong cadential resolution, but moved linearly and often inconclusively. The resultant music suggests an emotion or impression using shimmering effects of light and shade while allowing the listener to supply the details.