Impressionism is usually characterized by a conscious attempt to break with the artistic tradition of naturalistic representation. I have learned, however, that the Impressionists were not irreverent of the art of the past, when visiting many years ago the exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The exhibition showed how the art of Old Masters had shaped the Impressionists’ work, in particular, how much time Impressionist artists had spent in the Louvre, copying the works of many prominent painters. Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) looked up to Salomon van Ruysdael (ca. 1600–1603, died 1670), Mary Cassatt (1844 -1926) to Fragonard (1732–1806), and Édouard Manet, (1832–1883) to Diego Velazques (1599–1660). The museum visit thus provided a glimpse on how Impressionism was yet derivative of previous styles, but that did not mean one should dismiss it as uncreative or non-revolutionary, for Impressionists continued to explore the ideas the preceding artists had pioneered, while striving to create something new in the visual arts.—Diana Guber, “Back to the Future,” 2018.