Final answer:
Nineteenth century European and American impressionists and today's anime aficionados share common themes of a communal spirit among artists, a harmonious relationship with nature, and the aspiration to culturally define art through Japonisme influences like asymmetrical compositions and bold uses of colors.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Napier, the three common themes that unite the European and American impressionists of the nineteenth century and today's anime aficionados can be seen through their shared appreciation for themes that emerged with the advent of Japonisme. This movement saw Western artists like Vincent van Gogh draw inspiration from the Japanese Ukiyo-e art, which offered a different perspective on depicting the world around them. These themes included a communal spirit amongst artists, a deep connection with nature, and a shared hope to create art that would similarly define their own culture.
The impressionists such as Van Gogh admired the way Japanese artists lived in harmony with nature, almost as if they were part of it and turned away from traditional romantic portrayals to create a more realistic representation of life through their art. Furthermore, artists were drawn to Japanese art's visual inventiveness, its asymmetrical compositions, broad perspectives, flattened planes, and the use of bold colors and lines. These elements brought a drastic shift to Western art as it moved from Realism to Impressionism, and later to Post-Impressionism, experimenting with light, brushstrokes, and new ways of representing subjects, all while expressing emotion more freely.