The Impressionist painters of late nineteenth-century France rejected the smooth, polished surfaces favored by academic art. Instead of carefully blended brushstrokes meant to disappear, they used visible, broken strokes of pure color, allowing the viewer's eye to mix the colors at a distance. The technique transformed not only how paintings looked but how they were meant to be seen.
What is the main purpose of the text?
- A
To argue that academic painters were technically superior to Impressionists.
- Bcheck_circle
To describe how Impressionist technique departed from academic norms and reshaped viewing.
- C
To explain the chemistry of Impressionist paint pigments.
- D
To compare two contemporary painters within the Impressionist movement.
Explanation
The text contrasts Impressionist visible strokes with academic blending and notes the new mode of viewing. B captures both the contrast and the consequence.