Oil Painting and Art

Painted in 1872 by Claude Monet, Impression Sunrise depicts the harbor in Le Havre. It was first on display in 1874 at the first independent showing of what was later to become known as impressionism. The movement got its name during this show when critic Louis Leroy, inspired by the name “Impression Sunrise”, declared the show “The Exhibition of the Impressionists”. It was not initially meant as a compliment, though the artist there took to the name and kept it.