Monet, Manet, and Pissarro: Collaborative Forces Behind the Birth of Impressionism

This essay examines how Impressionism became a collective endeavor due to the interaction between Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, and Camille Pissarro. Although the emblem of Impressionism is believed to be Monet, this essay argues that its existence and survival were dependent on a greater group of artists whose discussion and experimentation were to reshape modern art. In the context of nineteenth-century industrialism and social change, the essay stresses how technologies such as easels and paint tubes permitted plein air painting and focused on light, air, and contemporary subjects. Monet's experimentation with color and perception, Manet's difficult modern realism, and Pissarro's discreet leadership and open-ended themes reveal contrasting yet complementary styles. By comparing their works, this study shows that Impressionism was not the result of a stroke of genius but a product of ongoing artistic sharing, with lasting effects on education about how innovation emerges from co-laboration.