An Art Excursion that Leaves an Impression

The High School Art Department’s Advanced Painting and Master classes headed to the National Gallery of Art in mid November to view an exhibition on the Paris Impressionists. After completing their unit on en plein air painting—capturing live scenery outdoors, just as many Impressionists had—they had the opportunity to see the historical significance of their work. 

The National Gallery’s Impressionism exhibit focused on the historical beginnings of the movement, including the political and social shifts that sparked the new approach to art along with a presentation of some 130 works—including those of masters Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro, along with works by their lesser-known contemporaries. 

High School Visual Arts Teacher Mark Giaimo explained that while these classes aren’t specifically focused on art history, they incorporate the history and background of the art forms or movements they are studying whenever possible—and DC provides them with a unique opportunity to experience the artworks and their backgrounds first-hand. He said that the exhibit had a lot of value for the students artistically in the form of direct application, as well as providing a uniquely detailed historical background on the Impressionist movement. 

“My biggest takeaway from the exhibit was that the art did not evolve for no reason,” said Julian Turim ’26 one of the students from the trip, “There is a lot of context and history surrounding the transitions between styles of painting.” 

Mary Morton, curator and head of French paintings at the National Gallery met with students to provide some background, and later after the exhibition tour, chatted individually with students in the gallery’s cafe.

Zoya Mghenyi ’26, said she found that the journey of the Impressionists is “...a key example of how art is used to not only depict history but also preserve people's emotions and experiences throughout the time period and the changes within.”

This is the second excursion the students have taken so far this semester, following a trip to the Phillips Collection earlier in the year where they viewed an exhibition on Blackness in Contemporary American Collage.