Why were Impressionist paintings considered shocking?

Answer 1

The impressionist painting were considered shocking because both their subject matter and their way of painting were totally different than the dictated standards of the official salons. Being accepted by the salons was the best way to sell paintings and to find patrons. The salon standard dictated the public standard of the quality of a painting. The salons had a hierarchy of accepted subject matters. Large history or mythical paintings were the highest subject one could paint. They liked to idealise the figures and the portraits. Landscapes and everyday scenes were not very high on their scale. Most impressionists painted everyday people and their nudes were not goddesses but regular women with flaws. The people they pictured were considered ugly by salon standards. They went outside to paint landscapes and painted what they saw without changing it. Instead of finishing the paintings with glazes so that you could not see the brushstrokes they painted bright colors one next to the other or one on top of another.