I love the active brushwork and sensitivity to color that happened in the impressionist and post-impressionist periods of art history. Impressionism was all about capturing light, color, and movement in a way that was true to the human experience of sight, turning away from painting tradition in an attempt to create images that more accurately reflected the brevity, energy, and complexity of everyday moments. Life is that way, and I think that’s why impressionist art is compelling to so many people.

A few of my favorite moments from the Impressionism Gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago. Courtesy of Renoir, Monet, Morisot, Cross, Manet, Van Gogh, and Monticelli: