6/25/2024 en plein air

"En plein air" is a French term meaning "in the open air," used to describe the act of painting outdoors. This approach gained popularity in the mid-19th century with the advent of portable paint tubes and easels, allowing artists to leave their studios and capture the natural light and scenery directly. The Impressionist movement, including artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, embraced this method to achieve a more spontaneous and vibrant representation of landscapes. The practice not only revolutionized painting techniques but also contributed to a cultural shift towards appreciating and depicting everyday natural beauty with immediacy and authenticity.