© Carolee Clark, “Butterfly Disguise,” 10″ x 10″, acrylic
“Butterfly Disguise” 
sold
by Carolee Clark
10″ x 10″
acrylic on wrapped canvas
What is the difference between impressionism and expressionism?
Impressionism painters (including Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro) often painted plein aire and were concerned with capturing an impression of the scene. They often used pure, bright pigment without a lot of mixing to capture the essence, the light and color of a subject.
Expressionism painters (Edvard Munch, Gustav Klimt (some say) and Charles Burchfield (my opinion)) are more interested in explaining their feelings than depicting the subject accurately. They often used distorted figures, bold colors and expressive brushstrokes.
© Claude Monet
© Charles Burchfield
burchfield!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d agree with your choice of Burchfield! People get a little bunched up over assigning things to one group or another don’t they? But it is fun to try and figure out the differences and similarities; fun to learn about art history and its multiple -isms.
The butterfly is lovely-almost looks like a kaleidoscope with the patterning.
Thanks, Carolee. Your explanation, PLUS the pictures (worth a thousand words!) are a great help.