Impressionists in the Digital Era

What would it be like for Monet, Degas, Renoir, Manet and many other impressionist painters to create their work in the digital era?

Known for their interest in the world around them and intrigued by both city bustle and country landscapes, would the impressionists of today talk about pixels rather than broken brush strokes? Would they complement their oil paintings with video installations?

In summer of 2013 in Granville, Normandy, I visited two exhibitions that were part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, Maurice Denis, au fil de l’eau and Impressions Dior. The shows featured different forms of artistic expression directly related to the Impressionism art movement; Denis’s paintings, illustrations, sketches, fans, stained glass, large-scale scenery and then, of course, paintings of Degas, Ronoir, Manet and among them 70 dresses of Christian Dior design. Dior’s creations showcased in Villa Les Rhumbs, Dior’s childhood home, showed designer’s acute awareness and high sensitivity to the natural environment, the changing quality of light and reflections; just as it had been true and characteristic for the Impressionist painters.

During my quick one day visit to Granville I managed to see a lifetime of work of great creators. Impressed, mesmerized and captivated by the work I just had seen, soon I found myself back on a train to Paris. A three-hour train ride gave me an opportunity to sit and reflect on my own impressions of the exhibits I had just visited. I wondered what it would be like today for the Impressionist artists to create their work in today's world. How different would it be today, if at all?