Decorating your walls with good artwork is a great way to create a unique and inviting ambience in a room while making a solid statement about your taste and interests. Not everyone can afford expensive originals, but it is possible to purchase good reproductions. You may have already decided modern art is not your style and are more inclined to the paintings of Impressionists. If you want to showcase American art, and still enjoy this genre, you can buy some great Impressionist prints that represent some of the best examples of American art.

Even those who are not art history buffs will like surprising their friends and family with the knowledge they have about the pieces hanging on their walls. If you have chosen a John Breck painting to hang, you can tell them he was the individual who brought Impressionism to the United States. The famous Parson School of Design in New York was established by William Chase, known for painting in the French style of "in plein air".

Experts consider Childe Hassam the most well known of American Impressionists. His flag paintings and street scenes made him a familiar figure to the art world during the Second World War. Painting in oil and watercolor, his work is reminiscent of Monet and Pissarro.

When you think about famous female artists of this time period, Mary Cassett is the name most people come up with. Cassett was born in Pennsylvania and went to Europe in her early twenties. She studied and painted in Paris eventually catching the eye of famed artist, Edgar Degas. She is most known for her depictions of women in everyday life. They might be shopping, eating lunch with friends or playing with their children.

James Whistler's mother is the subject of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Whistler traveled to France early in his career and formed a lasting relationship with Claude Monet. He was never a slavish devotee of French Impressionists, but sought instead to create his own style and more muted color palette. He did share the Impressionists' love of depicting daily life with attention on effect rather than detail.

Both the French and American Impressionists were fascinated with landscapes and close interiors. The coastline of New England was of special interest to a lot of the Americans painting at the time. Their work is very distinctive and can be easily identified, even when it is hung in the midst of French works of this same time period.

Ironbound Island, Maine was a popular destination for a lot of American Impressionists. The Blaney family owned it and welcomed such renowned painters as John Singer Sargent and Childe Hassam. The Blaneys were great supporters of the arts.

Knowing some of the history behind the reproductions you choose for your home makes them more special. You may even find that you are interested in learning more about the artist, the movement, and the individual techniques that set each work apart. Prints don't have to just hide bare walls. They can invite interesting conversation and create a congenial atmosphere.