This reference begins with a definition of Impressionism and a timeline before a detailed study of four famous Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Cezanne. The section on each of the artists’ contains information on the world in their time, their family, finances and friends, influences, a discussion of what their paintings said, how they were made and what the critics say about them. The images are beautifully reproduced, including specifics about the paintings and close-ups of details in the paintings. It is an excellent introduction to Impressionism.