Product Description

Impressionism—its techniques as well as its practitioners, past and present—continues to excite the passion of artists and art enthusiasts alike. From the plein-air landscapes first painted near the forests of Barbizon outside Paris, through the fields of Giverny that Monet immortalized, to the art of American expatriates such as John Singer Sargent and the European-trained American nativists like William Merritt Chase, the influence of impressionism on American art has had a long and distinguished history.



Through artistic principles developed by Charles Hawthorne, an influential American impressionist and educator who studied with Chase and founded The Cape Cod School of Art, the rich legacy of the impressionist tradition was passed on to several generations of twentieth-century American artists.



In Painting the Impressionist Landscape, Lois Griffel, the current director of The Cape Cod School of Art and an accomplished artist in her own right, explores and illustrates Hawthorne’s philosophy and theories about color and light, enabling artists at every level of ability and experience to apply his insights to their own work.



The first part of the book, “Fundamentals of Color and Light,” elaborates on the circumstances and individuals that contributed to the development of impressionism. The author then outlines the progression of the study of color and light that is covered in detail later in the book, from simple block studies—the most effective way to learn to use pure color to express the effects and quality of light—through the more complex rounded forms in still lifes and portraits, to the most challenging forms intrinsic to landscape.



Griffel then discusses the essentials of color—its terms, the impressionist palette, and color mixing—as well as how established color theory expresses and influences the impressionist approach.



The second part of the book, “Impressionism in Practice,” takes readers through a series of explorations that guides them toward a mastery of the impressionist landscape. Griffel begins by itemizing the materials that artists need to prepare for painting outdoors and describing how the light of the setting affects color within the context of a composition. The detailed chapters on the studies—from sunny day and cloudy day blocks, to still lifes and portraits, culminating in landscapes—are all structured to lead readers through each step, enabling them first to evaluate, then eventually realize in their own painting, Hawthorne’s enlightening perceptions about capturing the radiance of nature's light in art.



Beautifully illustrated with the art of the author, her colleagues at the artist’s colony in Provincetown, and selections by Monet, Sargent, and Hawthorne himself, Painting the Impressionist Landscape is a lively and informative guide to expressing light as color in art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #192072 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-01
• Released on: 1994-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

About the Author
Lois Griffel’s lifelong interest in art began at the age of five, when she first entertained neighborhood children with her drawings and paintings. She discovered early in her career that she enjoyed teaching and attended Southern Connecticut State College in order to receive her bachelor of science degree in education. Later, while making her living as a portrait painter, she enrolled at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York, where she studied with many outstanding artists, including Everett Raymond Kinstler and Harvey Dinnerstein. Her introduction in the early 1970s to Henry Hensche, Charles Hawthorne’s protégé, led to her in-depth study and practice of the impressionist theory of painting. As director and instructor at The Cape Cod School of Art, it gives her great joy to combine her loves of teaching and painting, and to share them with enthusiastic students. Ms. Griffel has had a number of one-person exhibitions throughout New England, and has been included in invitational exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Carmel, California. She holds workshops in landscape, portrait, and figure painting throughout the northeast.

Customer Reviews

Very good book but lots of room for improvements
I both loved this book and hated it. It could have been a 5 star book, but unfortunately it's not. The biggest drawback for me is the "step-by-step" instructions are very vague. If you're a beginner like me, you'll find them very difficult. There are not enough photos of the step-by-step exercises, sometimes there will be one photo for 10 steps and it's hard to see exactly what happened. The book is full of oil paintings, mostly from the author. There's almost one on every page. Why couldn't she leave out a few of her paintings and put in more pictures for her examples?? The book seemed just as much of an exposition of her work as a book on learning impressionist techniques. Having more pictures of the exercises would have made them so much easier. Her instructions are very vague, for example in between layers she doesn't say if you should let the painting dry or not. I've discussed this with people who have used her book and some tell me let it dry and some tell me not to let it dry, so obviously it wasn't clear for them either. Why couldn't she just be more precise? Sometimes she'll say "cool the violet with its complement", well what is the complement of voilet? Sometimes she'll say "I look at the white block and see a bit of pink." Well I look at it and I see white! I think this book would be OK for an advanced artist who's experienced with mixing colors and color theory, but for a beginner it's tough. She does have videos that cover the material form the book, but unfortunately they cost $200. Finally, be sure you like her paintings (search Google to find some). Some of them I really like but the majority I don't particularly care for. One in particular was a house with snow on it. She painted it with the snow being yellow because it was in the sun. Most of her paintings are very heavy on reds. They just seem unbalanced to me. Some of them are downright unrecognizable.

Overall if you are an advanced painter and want to create paintings like hers, this book is a good place to start. But it might not get you all the way there. If you are a beginner, I suggest some other books first.

A Great Book.
This is a wonderful book. Lois Griffel is a gifted artist and teacher. Every page in this book is a feast of beauty for the eye and a feast of knowledge and understanding for your mind. For anyone who wants to learn to paint in the impressionist style this is the book to own. You will study it over and over, as I have. If you are a beginner or a seasoned painter this book has much to offer. It will teach you how to see and paint light which is the great gift to the world of art from the impressionist.

Painting the Impressionists Landscape
Painting the Impressionists Landscape is a must for any painter who wants to learn to see color.Lois teaches you to see and I feel this is of upmost importance in growing as a painter.Lois guides you through the exercises. I normally just let books sit on the shelf after reading them but I have USED this book. I have done the exercises and have seen the progress in my work.I refer back to it often and feel it would be an asset to any painter who is still open and wants to learn.Thanks to Lois for sharing her talent and knowledge so freely.