Impressionism Author:Phoebe Pool Impressionism, the revolutionary movement born in Framce in the 1860's was one of themost important breakthroughs in the history of painting. In her lively survey, Pheobe Pool relates the individual impressionists- Renoir, Monet and Pissaro among them- to their poedecessors and their heirs. 209 illustrations. 77 in color.