I used to think so romantically about Monet, Pissarro, and the other
Impressionists. Not romantic like Manet is so dreamy; romantic as in
idealizing this particular group of painters—thinking they stepped
outside of their studios and, snap, Impressionism just happened.
Veneration can sometimes blind the mind’s eye to all the toil and
planning that goes behind an elegant masterpiece. The reality is that
the Impressionists were strategists, thinkers, and pioneering
technicians when it came to the art they produced.
...