With 2024 marking the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, what better time to explore the places that inspired these groundbreaking artists? Painters like Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas rocked the art world in 1874 when they launched the Impressionist movement, which emphasised light and colour over clarity, and feeling and experience over accuracy. From the vibrant urban centres of Paris and London to the tranquil beauty of the Norman and Welsh coastlines, we take a look at 15 key artworks and their locations as they are today.
Click through this gallery to see where to visit to follow in the footsteps of the Impressionists...
Although he considered himself a Realist and disliked the term Impressionism, Edgar Degas remains one of the group’s most famous members. Place de la Concorde (1875) captures two of his friends, the writer Daniel Halevy and the artist Ludovic-Napoleon Lepic (with his daughters), as they stroll across the famous Paris square. The muted monochromatic palette is enlivened by bold flashes of colour and loose, dynamic brushstrokes, perfectly capturing the transient light of the moment, while the sparse, horizontal composition gives a sense of the square’s scale.
The Place de la Concorde remains largely unchanged since Degas’ day. Situated in the heart of the city, between the Tuileries Garden and the Champs-Elysees, it is the largest square in Paris. At its centre stands the Luxor Obelisk, an Egyptian artefact dating from around 1300 BC. Its vast expanse gives stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, and it's an ideal spot to start a walk along the Seine.
Love this? Follow us on Facebook for more history, travel and art content
In the winter of 1897, Camille Pissarro took a room in the Grand Hotel du Louvre directly overlooking the Avenue de l’Opera, with a view stretching up to the magnificent Palais Garnier in the far distance. Built in the 1860s and 1870s as part of Baron Haussmann’s renovation of Paris, the avenue was a symbol of the modernity that so fascinated the Impressionists. Pissarro would go on to paint 15 views of the surrounding boulevards including Avenue de l’Opera: Morning Sunshine (1898), capturing the effects of different weather conditions on the city and its inhabitants. "It’s going to be beautiful to paint", he wrote, as the Paris streets were, "so silvery, so luminous and so lively".
The pushcarts and horse-drawn carriages seen in Pissarro’s painting may have been replaced by cars, buses and taxis, but the view up to the spectacular Paris Opera is still one of the most impressive sights the City of Lights has to offer. Today, the avenue is lined with elegant boutiques and food shops. It allows Parisians and visitors to wander between the Louvre and the Grands Boulevards.
Like many of the other Impressionists, Mary Cassatt was fascinated by Parisian nightlife. During the 1870s she produced a series of works depicting the theatre, including Woman in a Loge (1879) featuring a woman (possibly the artist’s sister Lydia) dressed up for an evening at the Palais Garnier. One of the first paintings she exhibited with the group, Cassatt took full advantage of the mirror behind the subject to depict the flickering light effects caused by the gas chandelier, creating a brilliant array of highlights playing over her dress and bare skin.
One of the city's most famous buildings – and the inspiration for The Phantom of The Opera – the Palais Garnier is still used for regular performances of ballet, opera and classical music, and is open to visitors (note that only online booking guarantees entry). Its stunning facade is matched by an equally opulent interior, including the famous auditorium with a ceiling painted by Marc Chagall.
Berthe Morisot’s painting, Summer’s Day (c.1879) is set in the Bois de BouIogne, a vast wooded park in the west of Paris dotted with lakes and pathways, whose construction had been initiated by Napoleon III in the 1850s. Morisot lived nearby so it's perhaps only natural that she would use it as a source of inspiration. She exhibited two paintings set in the Bois at the fifth Impressionist exhibition in 1880, both featuring the same model. Her bold, energetic brushstrokes bring this quiet everyday scene to life, while also beautifully capturing the shimmering light on the surface of the water.
The second largest public park in Paris, the Bois de Boulogne is still a delightful place to immerse oneself in nature. It is now also home to the Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum and the Stade Roland Garros, where the French Open tennis tournament is held each year.
Claude Monet first visited London at the start of the 1870s to avoid conscription during the Franco-Prussian War. While there, he was entranced by the city’s thick fog which, during the day, diffused the sunlight, casting everything into a hazy silhouette. He captured the effect perfectly in The Thames below Westminster (c.1871), a painting which featured a recently completed Houses of Parliament shrouded in mist. Westminster Bridge spans the light-dappled River Thames, with Victoria Embankment in the foreground. As he later mused, “without the fog, London would not be a beautiful city”.
The London skyline has changed dramatically since Monet’s day, but everything he painted is still present and correct. The Houses of Parliament have become one of the city’s most iconic sights, a must-see for any first-time visitor. Westminster Bridge, seemingly deserted in Monet's painting, is now swarming with tourists and double-decker buses all day long, while Victoria Embankment is full of cars, reflecting the inexorable growth of this metropolis. There’s a lot less fog nowadays, but London is still a beautiful city.
In autumn 1881, Renoir set off on a three-month tour of Italy. His first stop was Venice, where he painted the famous sights, such as Saint Mark’s Basilica in the Piazza San Marco, Venice (1881). He perfectly captures the effects of the bright morning sun in bold, rapidly applied brushstrokes typical of his Impressionist period. However, it was this Italian sojourn, during which he saw the works of Renaissance masters such as Raphael, Leonardo and Titian, that would ultimately convince him to abandon Impressionism in favour of a more formal classicism.
Still probably the most famous spot in all of Venice, the Piazza San Marco is the city’s main public square, home not just to the ornate Basilica but also the Doge’s Palace, the Campanile (Bell Tower) and the Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower). Needless to say, tourists flock to this iconic location to get a glimpse of history and enjoy a drink at one of the famous cafes along what Napoleon called "the world’s most beautiful drawing room".
Between 1892 and 1894, Monet produced his famous series of around 30 canvases depicting the facade of Rouen Cathedral in varying light conditions and at different times of day. They were intended to show how the changing light affects our perception of a specific subject, and he painted up to 14 versions simultaneously, switching from one to another as the atmospheric conditions changed. Rouen Cathedral, West Facade, Sunlight (1894), created using individual dabs and strokes of cream white and golden tan, highlighted with touches of sky blue and pale pink, perfectly captures the warmth of a summer’s day.
With its three towers, each in a markedly different style, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen is one of the most distinctive and famous in France. Between 1876 and 1880, not long before Monet painted it, it was the tallest building in the world, and its spires still dominate the town’s historic centre to this day. Every summer its facade is illuminated by a spectacular lights show, with the 2024 edition (appropriately enough) celebrating the 150th anniversary of Impressionism.
Monet’s paintings of Rouen may be the most celebrated, but the city was also a magnet for other Impressionists, including Camille Pissarro. While visiting in the spring and autumn of 1896 Pissarro wrote of his interest in the "motif of the iron bridge on a rainy day, with much traffic, carriages, pedestrians, workers on the quays, boats, smoke, mist in the distance, the whole scene fraught with animation and life". He painted the bridge in question – Boieldieu Bridge, or the Grand Pont – on a number of occasions. This interpretation of the crossing is called Morning, An Overcast Day, Rouen (1896).
Although the bridge that Pissarro repeatedly captured was destroyed during the Second World War, another was commissioned to take its place in 1955. The current bridge is a veritable outdoor sculpture gallery featuring works by a number of different artists. These include a series of 10 bronze busts by the Norman sculptor Jean-Marc de Pas featuring famous explorers such as Marco Polo and Ferdinand Magellan.
The sea was a major inspiration for Edouard Manet, who spent almost every summer at the coast. Painted in 1873 during a three-week stay at the small town of Berck-sur-Mer, overlooking the English Channel, On The Beach depicts his wife Suzanne and brother Edouard relaxing on the sands. In this early proto-Impressionist work the light, rapid brushstrokes are typical of the movement’s style, even if the muted tones, with touches of black-grey, are somewhat unusual.
As in Manet’s day, Berck-sur-Mer is still a popular tourist resort. It boasts one of the most beautiful beaches on the Cote d’Opale, stretching for more than seven miles (11km) and dotted with cabins painted in soft pastel shades. The birthplace of the sand yacht, beach sports are a major attraction, but it's also a great place to just relax, wander in the dunes and enjoy a swim.
Alfred Sisley made his home in the small village of Marly-le-Roi, to the west of Paris, between 1874 and 1877. The village was once home to the Chateau de Marly, built for Louis XIV in the 17th century as a retreat from Versailles, but later demolished. One of the few surviving fragments was the watering trough for horses, which became a favourite motif for Sisley, who painted it almost 20 times. This version, The Watering Place at Marly-Le-Roi (c.1875) was painted quickly, with swift brushstrokes and a muted grey palette, effortlessly capturing the mood of a cold winter’s day.
Today, Marly-Le-Roi remains a charming little village. Perched on a hill, with winding pedestrian streets and colourful houses, it's almost like being in Provence. Although the chateau was destroyed in 1806 the picturesque Royal Park remains and is open to visitors, with its quiet groves, statues, fountains and pools still intact. Even the watering trough, so beloved by Sisley, was restored in 2006 and forms an integral part of this remarkable landscape.
Although she complained about the people and didn’t like social occasions, Berthe Morisot was still drawn to the bustling French Riviera, inspired by its mild winter climate, its rich vegetation and the glorious Mediterranean light. She spent the winters of 1881-82 and 1888-89 in Nice, where she produced dozens of paintings depicting its beach, port and inhabitants. Pictured here is Morisot's painting titled Nice Beach (1882).
With its glorious beaches, casinos, Michelin-starred restaurants and expensive boutiques, Nice has become synonymous with luxury and glamour. But its charms go much further. From the narrow streets and colourful buildings of the Old Town to its lively markets, vibrant nightlife and breathtaking views of the mountains, it remains a popular destination for everyone.
The picturesque coastline around the small town of Etretat in Normandy proved an enduring source of inspiration for Monet. He visited the region every year between 1883 and 1886, creating more than 50 paintings of the monumental chalk cliffs which tower above its beaches. In The Beach at Etretat (1885-86), one of the imposing arches formed by centuries of erosion appears shrouded in mist, reduced to a mere outline, while a flotilla of small boats floats in the foreground, highlighted against the gently rippling waves.
Despite its small size, Etretat is today one of Normandy’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting a staggering 1.5 million visitors in 2022. Most visitors come for the breathtaking views across the bay, with its famous rock formations such as the Aiguille (or 'needle') and the Aval Arch, both of which Monet immortalised over a century ago.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent six weeks on the island of Guernsey in 1883, captivated by its crystal-clear waters and rugged landscape. While there he painted around 15 views of the bay and the beach. The picturesque Hills Around the Bay of Moulin Huet, Guernsey (1883), one of four works distinguished by their finish and the fact that Renoir signed and dated them, was painted from a vantage point favoured by contemporary guide books.
Famous for its shallow, azure waters and spectacular cliffs, Moulin Huet Bay is still a popular destination for visitors to the Channel Islands. The area has changed little since the 19th century and art fans who follow the self-guided Renoir Walk will be able to view the sites he painted much as the artist himself saw them back in 1883.
Alfred Sisley spent the summer of 1897 in England and Wales, where he discovered a rugged shoreline similar to that of Etretat and other French coastal locations so beloved by the Impressionists. He particularly liked Langland Bay, near Swansea, and the dramatic, partially collapsed cliff at Lady’s Cove. Clearly invigorated, he returned with around 20 canvases, including Langland Bay, Wales (1897). The only seascapes he ever painted, they are characterised by an unusually bold application of paint and a heightened palette which took his art in a new direction. Sadly, however, he fell ill soon after returning and would die within a year.
Still a popular destination for tourists, Langland Bay is known for its excellent surfing and water sports of every type. But there are plenty of less strenuous activities too, and visitors can enjoy its impressive crescent-shaped beach, stroll along the promenade lined with traditional beach huts or make the most of its majestic sunset at the end of the day.
When Monet purchased his house at Giverny in 1889, he was able to give free rein to his imagination, transforming its grounds into an extraordinary natural environment which would inspire some of his most famous works. Influenced by Japanese and English gardens, as well as Dutch tulip fields and Parisian flower markets, he planted new flower beds and created the famous Water Garden in which he planted the colourful water lilies which would become perhaps his most enduring motif.
After the death of Monet’s heirs, the house and garden at Giverny fell into disrepair, before being faithfully restored and opened to the public in 1980. Today the museum, situated halfway between Paris and Rouen, is open between April and October, hosting temporary exhibitions and allowing visitors the chance to take a trip back in time by wandering Monet’s sublime gardens at their leisure.