As this major contribution to art history shows, Impressionism was far more than a French movement that spread to other countries; rather, it was an approach to art adopted by artists of all nationalities who responded to light and atmospheric conditions, to landscape and cityscape, with an explosion of enthusiasm that was felt around the globe.
The documents in this book -- letters and recorded comments by the artists themselves, as well as selections by notable contemporaries including Baudelaire, Zola, Valery, Mallarme, Huysman, Laforgue and Proust -- show how artists and critics during and in the aftermath of Impressionism did describe themselves: how they responded to tradition, to each other and to the kaleidoscope of the contemporary scene. The ever-expanding interpretation of Impressionism and its legacy within the changing world of twentieth-century art and art criticism is examined through the writings of artists such as Leger, Kandinsky, Masson, Matisse, Bataille, Klee and Hofmann as well as recent critics, philosophers and art historians. Accompanying the texts are 235 color plates of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, and 242 black and white reproductions of historical photographs, original documents, contemporary cartoons, prints and drawings. - Jacket flap.
The New York Times–bestselling biography of Manet, Cezanne, Degas, and others—a “revealing group portrait . . . lively, required reading” (People). Though they were often ridiculed or ignored by their contemporaries, their paintings are now revered around the world. Their dazzling works are familiar to even the most casual art lovers—but how well do we know the Impressionists as people? The first book to offer an intimate and lively biography of the world’s most popular group of artists, including Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Morisot, and Cassatt. Sue Roe’s Private Lives of the Impressionists, follows an extraordinary group of artists into their Paris studios, down the rural lanes of Montmartre, and into the rowdy riverside bars of a city undergoing monumental change. Vivid and deeply researched, it casts a brilliant light on this unparalleled society of genius colleagues who lived and worked together for twenty years—and transformed the art world with their breathtaking depictions of ordinary life.
The impressionists were born in the horse-and- buggy era but lived during the Industrial Revolution, a time -- like today -- of constant technological change. The Impressionist Art Book brings this period to life through dramatic, full-color photos of the art of such masters as Monet, Renoir, and Degas. A lively text explores photography's influence in changing the way impressionists painted and memorable quotes including Monet's statement "I want to paint the way a bird sings".
'Impressionists in Their Gardens' explores gardens through the senses of the Impressionists from three continents - Europe, North America and Australia - enjoying the essentially similar pleasures of the garden, but engaging with the light from their skies in order to create very different sensations. The enclosure of the garden acts like a picture frame showcasing a living canvas that exudes the individuality, vision and taste of its tenants, their family, friends, lifestyles and, in the simple words of the greatest Impressionist and gardener Monet, providing motifs to paint. The first section uses contemporary paintings and photographs to see the who, what and where of Impressionist gardens - planting, eating, loving, sleeping, children, animals, working and painting. The second section, illustrated with paintings, old photographs and modern images, starts at the horticultural source - the nurseryman Latour-Marliac at Temple sur Lot, then Monet at Giverny; American Impressionists at Old Lyme, Cos Cob and Appledore in the USA; Gertrude Jekyll at Munstead Wood and beyond; the Heidelburg School and Frederick McCubbin at Fontainebleau; and, chronologically last but not least, Renoir at Les Colettes. Caroline Holmes' travels have enabled her to take this unique approach, as a garden historian and gardener she understands how weather has shaped and formed the earth's sublime topography and how the control of the human hand is beautifully displayed in its fine crafted gardens, observed and colourfully captured by these artists. Join her in the garden for the great pleasures of solitude and sociability; food and friendship; sound and scent; cool shade and balmy warmth, not forgetting glorious colour. 200 colour illustrations
In this innovative approach to Impressionism and its methods, Jonathan Stephenson's instruction enables amateurs the world over to paint like the Impressionists. Vibrantly illustrated in colour throughout, both with well-known works of art and step-by-step examples, the book shows how the masters achieved their diverse effects and how their ideas and styles can be adapted to today's tastes. Sections on the artists provide fascinating insights into individual techniques: learn how Monet produced his oil colour sketches, or how Sisley created his atmospheric landscapes. With an introduction providing the historical background to Impressionism, and a comprehensive section on artists' materials, this is a highly practical book that will appeal both to beginners and more experienced artists, as well as to the many thousands of of people inspired by the brilliance and beauty of Impressionist painting.