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: #292530 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-01
• Released on: 1994-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• 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

Best Educational Book
I am always looking for oil painting books that will help to develop my skill level. I have been so disappointed in the past. This book is extraordinary. The author gets down to complete basics to really teach someone the fundamentals of painting in the Impressionist style. There are a series of exercises in the book where you learn to paint simple colored blocks. The rationale for this process is that you need to start with very simple shapes and master the color on those before you move to complex landscapes and such. The exercises seem a bit tedious, but I followed along with the book, and was amazed at how much I learned. The book gets very nitty gritty in its instruction....down to the level of what exact colors were used and why. And it really works. I have a whole library of art books, and I can easily say that this is my most educational book of all. I have learned more from this book then all of the others combined. Too often artists write books strictly for the money and fame, but they really don't want to tell you their methods. This woman is a true teacher. She is quite unafraid to share everything that she knows. I would love to meet her and tell her what a great influence she has been for me.

Great instruction for the impressionistic painter
Griffel's book has opened up a new world of painting for me. Returning from a trip to Paris I was inspired by the works of the great French impressionists and wanted to learn the basics of their style of painting. This book is a two part course in painting - the first section covers basic color theory and the second walks you through step-by-step excersises to learn to apply the techniques. My landscapes have taken on a whole new look and I'm looking forward to a workshop with Griffel in the coming year.

Seeing the Light
Any painter who wishes to see the light through the eyes of the impressionist masters will most certainly want to purchase this outstanding book. Written by Lois Griffel, Director of the Cape Cod School of Art, founded by Charles Hawthorne and continued by his disciple, Henry Hensche, PAINTING THE IMPRESSIONIST LANDSCAPE will gratify both the beginner and the advanced student. In her book, Lois Griffel, herself a master teacher, provides a theoretical framework for simple, practical exercises designed to develop in the student an understanding of how light affects the world of color around him. Of special interest are the block studies from where the artist begins his journey, first observing the effects of light on simple rectangular forms on sunny and cloudy days; then on to the rounded half tones of still life; on to the nuances of the portrait; and, finally, to painting out of doors where the artist is gradually empowered to see and understand the dazzling effects of light on the landscape. PAINTING THE IMPRESSIONIST LANDSCAPE is an outstanding book, profusely illustrated with Lois Griffel's own beautiful work as well as the work of other fine painters of this school. I treasure this book and am grateful to Lois Griffel for having written it. Bernice Ruth Winston