Encountering Impressionism 遇見印象派

這是2020年我在英國念書期間，英文寫作輔導課程的作業。這之中的要求是要用 Describe(陳述) - Depict(描繪) - Interpret(詮釋)，三階段敘事法去述說令我印象深刻的博物館展品。我在當年約2月時曾參觀過位在倫敦市中心的The National Gallery，特別對館內展出的印象派畫作情有獨鍾，便以此為題。

This Monday I had a chance to visit the National Gallery in London. It has a myriad of traditional painting collections displayed in chronological order throughout four main galleries. What intrigues me the most is the gallery that displays impressionist paintings. Impressionism is a famous and influential art movement from the 19th century. It features using bright colors and flickering brushstrokes to capture the changing quality of light, which is considered to be an innovation in both art style and painting technique. Some of the famous impressionists are Manet, Monet, and Van Gogh, whose paintings are now world-famous masterpieces. I was fascinated by impressionist paintings because of the feeling they evoked in me. This painting, created by Monet, depicts bathers enjoying a relaxing time at a bathing resort on a sunny afternoon. It conveys the joy of innocence through an everyday leisure activity. Most importantly, it provokes a feeling of warmth and happiness not only in the abstract conception but also in physical brushwork and colors. Impressionist paintings were not trying to depict everything in clear detail like photographs; instead, they portrayed the interaction between light and things. When I look at these paintings, I know they depict the real world, but it seems that there is another magically animated world inside. I wonder if anyone shares the same feeling as me. Perhaps it is just myself fascinated by the bright color and the view of natural scenery. Either way, I was astonished by impressionism. Fantastic and marvelous.