It is often underestimated how provocative the Impressionist works at the first exhibition in 1874 were. The advocates of the new style rejected the established art forms of that time. The Impressionists dared to capture the fleeting effects of light and sensation with lively colors and sweeping lines. Ralph Skea takes a fresh look at how the Impressionists turned everyday motifs into art and traces the movement from its origins in France to its foothills around the world.