Everything takes its roots somewhere in the past, including art. Directions in painting have changed with times, and current trends are not understood by everyone. But everything new is a well-forgotten old, and to understand the current painting, one does not need to know the history of art from ancient times, it is enough just to recall the paintings of the XIX and XX centuries.
The middle of the 19th century is a time of change not only in history, but also in art. All that was before: classicism, romanticism and all the more academicism - the flow, limited to a certain framework. In France 50-60-ies of the trend in painting asked the official Salon, but the typical "salon" art suited not all, it explained the emerging new directions. In painting of that time there was a revolutionary explosion that broke with centuries-old traditions and foundations. And one of the epicenter was Paris, where in the spring of 1874 young painters, including Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Renoir and Cezan, organized their own exhibition. The works presented there were completely different from the salon ones. Artists used a different method - reflexes, shadows and light were transmitted by pure paints, individual strokes, the shape of each object seemed to dissolve in an air-light environment. No other direction in painting knew such methods. These effects helped to maximally express their impressions of ever changing things, nature, people. One journalist called the group "Impressionists", thereby he wanted to show his disdain for young artists. But they adopted this term, and he eventually took root and went into active use, losing negative meaning. So there was an impressionism, unlike all other directions in the 19th century painting. At first, the reaction to innovation was more than dislike. Too bold and new painting to buy no one wanted, and even feared, because all the critics did not take the Impressionists seriously, laughed at them. Many said that Impressionist artists wanted to achieve rapid glory, they were not satisfied with the sharp break with conservatism and academicism, as well as unfinished and "sloppy" kind of work. But to abandon their beliefs, artists were not able to make even hunger and poverty, and they showed tenacity until their paintings were finally recognized. But it was too long to wait for recognition, some Impressionist artists were no longer alive.
As a result, the current that was born in Paris in the sixties was of great importance for the development of world art of the XIX and XX centuries. After all, the future trends in painting were based on Impressionism. Each subsequent style appeared in search of a new one. Post-impressionism was engendered by the same impressionists who decided that their method was limited: a deep and multi-valued symbolism was the answer to painting that "lost its meaning", and modern even calls its name to a new one. Of course, since 1874 in art there have been many changes, but all modern trends in painting somehow repel the fleeting Parisian impression.