Paris: The Capital of Art

Impressionism was pioneered by a group of radical artists in Paris during the 19th century and is the most well known artistic movement to come out of La Belle Époque (The Golden Age). The term, “Impressionism” was coined by an art critic after seeing Claude Monet’s, Impression, sunrise (Impression, soleil levant.) The artist chose this title because of the impression one has while looking at something that is obscure or lacks detail – in this case, a sunrise at the port of Le Havre. Impressionist paintings are characterized by short, visible brush strokes of bright colors that give the impression of reflected light. Prominent artists to emerge from this movement were: Manet, Renoir, Degas, Boudin and Pissarro. These impressionist masterpieces can now be admired in Paris museums such as the Musée d’Orsay, Musée Marmottan and the Musée de l’Orangerie. Paris still remains the Capital of Art and is home to one of the most recognizable street art stunts in the last decade: Space Invaders. An anonymous, urban artist, who simply refers to himself as “Invader,” was inspired by Tomohiro Nishikado's video game by the same name and began mounting mosaic tiles of these aliens in Paris. Space Invaders can be seen all around the world; however, there are over 1,000 in Paris alone, making it the most invaded city to date. Learn more about the Impressionists, street art and Space Invaders on our Montmartre District Tour!