Celebrations of city streets; tranquil vistas of the countryside and seashore;nchanting images of the leisured classes in domestic interiors or atashionable Parisian cafes - the work of the Impressionists gives pleasure tort lovers everywhere. But while Impressionism today may appear "natural" andffortless, contemporaries were shocked by the loose handling of paint andhe practice of painting out-of-doors. In defiance of the conservativefficial Salon, the Impressionists - led by Edouard Manet, Claude Monet,ierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas - sought to capture the immediacy ofxperience.;This comprehensive study brings together the most recent researchn Impressionism. James Rubin makes accessible its philosophical, politicalnd social context, from Baudelaire's conception to the painter of modernife, to the influences of photography, the burgeoning art market, andontemporary notions of gender and race. As well as the acknowledged masters,ur attention is drawn to lesser-known Impressionists such as Berthe Morisot,ary Cassat and Gustave Caillebotte. Rubin also examines the work of Paul