The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism

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The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 2,902 ratings · 158 reviews

While the Civil War raged in America, another revolution took shape across the Atlantic, in the studios of Paris: The artists who would make Impressionism the most popular art form in history were showing their first paintings amidst scorn and derision from the French artistic establishment. Indeed, no artistic movement has ever been quite so controversial. The drama of it...more

Paperback, 464 pages

Published November 28th 2006 by Walker & Company (first published January 10th 2006)

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Apr 12, 2011 Dvora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: france, art, biography-history

I very much enjoyed this history of the beginnings of Impressionism in France. It was well written, fairly well illustrated (there is always the internet for looking up more of the paintings mentioned, but I hate getting up from my reading to do that), and the subject matter and people involved were fascinating to me. Thanks AC and the Artist Lovers group on GR for drawing my attention to this book, which I doubt I ever would have heard of otherwise.

I wanted to add that after reading this, I am...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, biography

1. I listened to half on my way home from Ohio, and now I'm going to actually READ the second half. I like to see events coincide: the Civil War and the birth of Impressionism and the downfall is it? of Napoleon III of France. I like to learn about art history this way, with new facts tossed in as part of the larger story: : Impasto is paint layered thickly. Chiaroscuro is paint getting gradually lighter, with a dark background, to show volume. Painting for Paris of mid-nineteenth century was li...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Muselmu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sachbücher

"Zum Frühstück ins Freie" erzählt vordergründig von der Malerei in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts in Frankreich. Hautnah kann man miterleben, wie einzelne Künstler aus den Normen und Zwängen der École des Beaux Arts auszubrechen versuchen, neue Techniken ausprobieren, verhöhnt werden und sich langsam aber sicher neue Kunstströmungen entfalten - unter ihnen auch der Impressionismus, der mit Vertretern wie Manet, Monet, Renoir, etc zu den Ursprüngen der modernen Malerei gehört.

Es ist also...more "Zum Frühstück ins Freie" erzählt vordergründig von der Malerei in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts in Frankreich. Hautnah kann man miterleben, wie einzelne Künstler aus den Normen und Zwängen der École des Beaux Arts auszubrechen versuchen, neue Techniken ausprobieren, verhöhnt werden und sich langsam aber sicher neue Kunstströmungen entfalten - unter ihnen auch der Impressionismus, der mit Vertretern wie Manet, Monet, Renoir, etc zu den Ursprüngen der modernen Malerei gehört.

Es ist also eigentlich ein Sachbuch, doch Ross King schafft es, so wortgewandt die Geschehnisse darzustellen und zu erläutern, dass einen zwischendurch beinahe das Gefühl überkommt, einen historischen Roman zu lesen. Zunächst war ich etwas skeptisch, da sich in dem Buch wirklich kaum Bilder finden - ein Kunstbuch ohne Bilder, geht das denn überhaupt? Ist das nicht ein Widerspruch in sich? Doch ich wurde eines Besseren belehrt, denn es funktioniert tatsächlich und wenn dann mal wirklich von einem Bild die Rede ist, dass man nun gerne auch vor Augen haben möchte, gibt es heutzutage ja dank Internet & co genügend Möglichkeiten, dem nachzuhelfen.

Es geht zwar viel um die Impressionisten - vor allem Édouard Manet (der zwar genau genommen gar nicht zu diesen gezählt werden kann, was aber oft außer Acht gelassen wird) steht hier im Vordergrund, einer der ersten, der mit seiner neuen Technik im Salon, einer Art alljährlicher Ausstellung zeitgenössicher Maler unter einer strengen Jury, ausstellte und dafür mit Spott und Hohn bestraft wurde; doch auch einige der Maler, die noch den alten Techniken anhängen spielen hier eine Rolle. Neben den neuen Kunstströmungen behandelt das Buch auch das Leben und Schaffen des französischen Malers Ernest Meissonier, den ich vorher überhaupt nicht kannte, der sich im Nachhinein allerdings als der zu dieser Zeit beliebteste Maler Frankreichs entpuppte, dessen Bilder bei Auktionen Rekordbeträge einbrachten.

Doch nicht nur die Malerei an sich steht im Vordergrund. Ross King legt einen großen Wert darauf, auch auf die handelnden Figuren selbst einzugehen, so erfährt man einiges über die Charakterzüge, Familien und Lebensumstände dieses oder jenen Malers und erhält Einblicke in die damalige Zeit. Der Sachtext ist somit auch mit sehr vielen Details gespickt, die zwar nicht unbedingt von größter Wichtigkeit sind, das ganze Buch allerdings noch einmal abrunden und für ein großes Lesevergnügen sorgen.
Auch auf die Gesellschaft selbst geht der Autor sorgfältig ein und so erschließt sich dem Leser bald ein doch recht anschauliches Bild der Gesellschaft und der politischen Lage im Frankreich (und hauptsächlich in Paris) der 1860er Jahre.

Fazit: Ein sehr sehr interessant und aufschlussreiches Buch, das sich in erster Linie natürlich an Kunstliebhaber wendet, doch auch für jeden Geschichtsfreund oder auch einfach jemanden, der mehr über diese Zeit erfahren will, einiges bereithält.(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Robert Boyd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: art

Stirring and dramatic. The book tells the story of a sea-change in art by concentrating on two painters, Manet and Messonier. If you've never heard of Meissonier, don't worry--few have. He was the most successful French painter in the second half of the 19th century, but his reputation collapsed almost instantly after his death. But choosing these two artists to focus on doesn't take away from the other artists whose stories intersect in the Paris of the 1960s. Courbet is an especially appealing...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Serious art students

Shelves: 2011, non-fiction, travel-the-world

This is an excellent exploration of the political, social and artistic background that led to the birth of Impressionism. It is a very detailed, in-depth look at the artists Manet and Meissonier, their work and how that work both exemplified and defied the artistic trends and political environment of 19th century Paris - the crucial time period that both shaped and changed the art world.

This is not a book for the casual art observer, but an in-depth exploration for those seriously interested in...more This is an excellent exploration of the political, social and artistic background that led to the birth of Impressionism. It is a very detailed, in-depth look at the artists Manet and Meissonier, their work and how that work both exemplified and defied the artistic trends and political environment of 19th century Paris - the crucial time period that both shaped and changed the art world.

This is not a book for the casual art observer, but an in-depth exploration for those seriously interested in the Impressionists and/or the evolution of art during the 19th century as well as serious fans of Manet and Meissonier. Meissonier who, prior to this book, was rather unfamiliar to me exemplifies the ultimate, classically-trained French artist of his time. The author contrasts Meissonier with Eduard Manet who was was a key player in challenging the VERY strict dictates of the Academie des Beaux Arts in Paris. The Academie was the ultimate authority in mid 19th Century Paris as to who did or did NOT get presented during the annual exhibition each year.

This book gives an excellent, in-depth exploration of the numerous influences and happenings that resulted in the birth of Impressionism. It helps significantly to either be familiar with or have access (at least via internet) to copies of the paintings discussed here while King explores their significance and import. The beauty of reading a book like this today is the almost instant access the internet can provide to these works while reading the book. Its a bit like having your own personal docent step you through the foundational works of Impressionism, being able to see how one influenced the other.

I used this as research for a recent study tour I was leading to Paris featuring both the Louvre and the Orsay museums and I found the material here both well presented, fascinating and an excellent preparation for my trip. I've always loved the Impressionists and studied them for years, but this helped to fill in some of the blanks surrounding both their work and its revolutionary effect on the entire world of art. (less)

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Jun 27, 2010 Adrian Stumpp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, cultural-criticism, history, modern, non-fiction, french

King's exploration of the birth of Impressionism, which he considers the greatest revolution in art since the Italian Renaissance, interweaves the stories of two French artists: Ernest Meissanier, the most famous artist of his time who is now derided, dismissed, and virtually forgotten by art historians, and Edouard Manet, considered the father of Impressionism and one of the most influential artists in history who was scorned and insulted for most of his professional career. This dichotomy repr...more King's exploration of the birth of Impressionism, which he considers the greatest revolution in art since the Italian Renaissance, interweaves the stories of two French artists: Ernest Meissanier, the most famous artist of his time who is now derided, dismissed, and virtually forgotten by art historians, and Edouard Manet, considered the father of Impressionism and one of the most influential artists in history who was scorned and insulted for most of his professional career. This dichotomy represents the central conceit of the book. History will tell the tale, King implies, the fickle tasts of a generation have no bearing on what will ultimately prove to be immortal. Posterity chooses its heroes, the Academies do not get to perscribe them. That's fine. For me, however, there is just one glaring problem: when considered alongside one another there is not a question in my mind about who is the superior artist: Meissonier. I believe King's premise ought also to be attached to our current tastes in art. Posterity, in the truest sense, has not yet had its full say. What the twentieth century deamed to be great art (Manet) will most likely be rebelled against in the 21st century, and Meissonier may, in the end, have the final say. One art historian quoted by King said something to the effect that he is disgusted by the thought that Meissonier, a pompous self-indulgeant technician supposedly without a true artistic notion, who made a career and a lot of money by creating empty decorations for the homes of rich bourgoisie's, while obviously supperior artists, such as Manet, toiled in absolute obscurity, barely able to scratch together enough francs to buy paints and brushes. This is the prevailing sentiment among art historians, and one would imagine, among contemporary artists. These idiots don't seem to understand that Manet's work today decorates the homes of the rich bourgoisie, that ultimately political sentiment has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with art, and that, yes, history will tell the tale. When viewed next to Meissonier's paintings, Manet's best work seems cartoonish, immature, untalented, and entirely forgettable, with the only exceptions being Le dejaneur sur l'herbe and The Assassination of Maximillian. By contrast, Meissonier's best work is breathtaking, even in reproductions, and his less great paintings are at least interesting.

But back to the book. Ross King is a great writer, a compelling storyteller, and, for the most part, a fair historian. The only exception to this is his never clearly justified loathing for Victor Hugo. The Judgment of Paris is a very good read and likely to spark many interesting conversations about the nature of art, artistic immortality, taste, transformation, revolution, and evolution.(less)

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Jun 17, 2010 Frank Stein rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ross King, author of the pop-histories "Brunelleschi's Dome" and "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling," writes another great story that combines artistic and political intrigue. This is a tale of the 1860s in France, when Edouard Manet and the not-yet-named Impressionists challenged the artistic establishment while Napolean III's "Second Empire" teetered on the brink of disaster.

Most interesting is King's ability to tease out the relations between the political and artistic world, which were ad...more Ross King, author of the pop-histories "Brunelleschi's Dome" and "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling," writes another great story that combines artistic and political intrigue. This is a tale of the 1860s in France, when Edouard Manet and the not-yet-named Impressionists challenged the artistic establishment while Napolean III's "Second Empire" teetered on the brink of disaster.

Most interesting is King's ability to tease out the relations between the political and artistic world, which were admittedly closer in Second Empire France than in just about any period in history. A section of Napoleon's Ministry of State known as the Ministry of the Imperial House and Fine Arts, based at the Louvre, controlled artistic exhibitions in Paris, most importantly the annual Salon, where artists displayed and sold their work. In the 1860s the arch-conservative Minister of Fine Arts, Comte de Nieuwerkerke, set the annual regulations which determined who was elected to the Salon's jury, and therefore what type of paintings were exhibited (and where they got exhibited: Manet's revolutionary Olympia was moved from eye-level to high above visitors heads at the 1865 Salon. One critic said "you scarcely knew whether you were looking at a parcel of nude flesh or a bundle of laundry."). The Comte's strict, conservative regulations for the 1863 Salon led to such an outcry that Napoleon, in order to gain artistic support, sponsored a "Salon de Refuses" where the rejects could be judged by the people as a whole. The 1866 Salon was known for its "Jury of Assassins," after one artist committed suicide when his art was refused entry. In order to gain more liberal support along with his liberalization of the censorship laws, Napolean in 1868 opened the "Salon of Newcomers," where previously rejected artists like Pisarro, Renoir, and Degas exhibited. King shows that art functioned as an important art of the state in this period.

King also shows that this political concern about art was not idle or elitist. The Salon attracted as many as a million visitors in some years, sometimes up to 50,000 a day when it was free on Sundays, and they were truly visitors of all classes (he compares this to the most popular exhibition of 2003, Leonardo: Master Draftsman, at the Met, which drew 400,000 attendees, or around 6,800 visitors a day, not even a fraction of the attendance at the old Paris Salons). Painting and sculpture were real popular and political entertainments.

He also relates some great anecdotes, such as the confusion among Manet's friends when Monet began to exhibit at the Salon (they complimented the angry Manet on his new landscapes: generations of art students, you have company). He also shows that it was the Americans who first showed the full appreciation for the Impressionists (Louisine Havemeyer, wife of the sugar-magnate, spent more than anyone else buying up Monet, Pissarro, and Cezanne works in the 1890s).

Of course there are a few problems. King spends too much time comparing Manet and the now forgotten painter Meissonier, who was called the greatest artist of his age but who today is so ignored that he even had his statute removed from the Louvre by a recent French Minister of Culture. Although it is interesting to know about this oft-ignored representative of the "conservative" establishment, it's hard to get excited about the details of his family life. Also, the endless annual salons tend to blur into one another at some points in the story, a little more discretion here would have been nice. But overall this book gave me a real appreciation for the world that birthed modern art, and its importance in its time.(less)

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Sep 22, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the accessible writing style. The book would be enjoyable for anyone, not just art history buffs. It was speckled with entertaining and interesting facts, and was not dry at all. I was using the book as a source while writing a research paper and could not put it down.

My only problem was that when cross-checking some of King's quotes and figures I came across references that made me a little uncomfortable with including them in my paper because they seemed to be interpreted a little too...more

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Oct 08, 2012 T Michael Testi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be quite an interesting read. There are some points that are a bit dry, but for the most part very readable. I think that although the events took place 150 years ago, the history it teaches is very relevant in today's world.

The book centers around two french painters Édouard Manet and Ernest Meissonier. The latter being very highly acclaimed during his lifetime and the former, being - using today's terms, considered a hack, by many of his contemporaries. The book takes us throu...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know how others who don't care much for art let alone art history would appreciate this but I enjoyed it very much. It's given me a good lesson on the beginnings of impressionism and those artists that dared to challenge the strict traditions of the French art institute and to shock, even offend, the French public.
King is apparently a bigger admirer of the Impressionists because I felt his writing of Ernest Messionier bias and unfair. If in his lifetime the man found his wealth and fame...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first nonfiction book I've ever completed voluntarily, and I absolutely loved it! Ross King's writing is easy to follow and he takes on a subject that is fascinating to me. The book chronicles the story of the Salon des Refuses or "exhibition of rejects" where many of the most famous painters of all time were forced to exhibit their works after being rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon.

The book focuses a great deal on the life story of Edouard Manet, who is one of my fa...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Dot rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dot-s-booklist-2013

I think this must have been a difficult book to write since it deals with innovations by prominent French artists set against the political backdrop of the Third Empire. King chiefly deals with 2 artists : Meissonier and Manet. The former was hailed as France's greatest artist during his lifetime while Manet was ignored or roundly criticised. Today most people would recognise the name of Edouard Manet but not that of Meissonier. I found the politics surrounding the choice of paintings selected b...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

I appreciate how Ross King took the time to find actual quotes from art critics that served to deflate and defame great art. The remarks come across as both cruel and comedic. For example, one critic receives the feeling of a painting as "the taste of a sick man's handkerchief." Amusing anecdotes also run aplenty. For example, Napoleon III liked women so much that "he exerted himself in bed until the wax on the edge of his mustache would melt." As a result, the mustache became droopy. A few hist...more

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Feb 21, 2007 Elise rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More of a survey of events, rather than an examination of how the societal conditions affected the success (or lack thereof) of the two artists and styles. It moved slowly and I would have enjoyed reading more analysis of the broader implications of the art, but interesting subject matter nonetheless.

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Mar 14, 2009 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book even more than I anticipated. It chronicles the decade (1863-1874) that "gave the world Impressionism." The book is full of history and information about a volatile period in French, especially Parisian, history (Napoleon III's Second Empire, Franco-Prussian War, Siege of Paris, the Commune, Third Republic); however, it primarily revolves around "the two poles of art" Ernest Meissonier ("the most famous and successful painter of the 19th century"--Sic transit gloria mundi) an...more

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May 27, 2011 Sue Pit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The Judgment of Paris , The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism as written by Ross King is a most informative and enlightening book regarding the transition of classical art to modern art. Art regarding noble moral lessons set in the far past or mythical settings were giving way to realistic art depicting not a glorified notion of the past but of the reality of the present. This book focuses on two artists primarily. Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet. Ernest Meissonier was h...more

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Feb 18, 2011 AC rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, 19th-century, modernism, louis-napoleon

This review MAY contain a spoiler -- I'm not sure..., it's hard for me to tell….

(It has taken me quite a while to write this review -- I wasn't sure why…. I thought maybe I was just being busy, or just being lazy…; but I think the reason is deeper than that.... Anyway, this is what I originally wrote, and didn't post, when I finished the book:)

This was the perfect book for me. I knew just enough to profit from this informed and intelligent review of the roots of Impressionism and this fascinatin...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Amie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was really a great book! It was about the opposition faced by the Impressionists under the salon system of Paris, which was the conventional way for artists to gain recognition in the day. King focused a lot on the experiences of Ernest Meissonier, who was the most revered painter in Europe in the mid 1800's, and Edouard Manet, who was constantly rejected from the Salon, or ridiculed and criticized when his paintings were accepted. Ross King was able to tell their stories, along with the st...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Hotavio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-on-france, books-on-art

Here Ross King concerns himself with the French art world leading up to the dawn of Impressionism. The book reads as easily as a fictional narrative in that it follows the seemingly disparate careers of Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet. The 2 artists could hardly be comparable. Yet, King's selection of the artists resembles two oppositional ages in a France that experiences one cataclysm after another. King adeptly introduces other equally intriguing personalities from all aspects of society,...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Ross King has an impressive track record chronicling the transformative nature of genius. His Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling (**** Mar/Apr 2003) wrapped their author's extensive knowledge of European culture in brisk, compelling prose. King continues his march through art history's great moments in The Judgment of Paris and emerges with another triumph. Though the central drama is focused on Manet and Meissonier, The Boston Globe criticizes the book as "at heart an i

...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Marti rated it 4 of 5 stars

While the book sometimes plodded through French history, it did help me put the rise of French Impressionism into perspective with the times it emerged from. I had never heard of one of the most influential artists of the time, Ernest Meissonier, who plays a huge part in the development of this historical account of the artistic climate that gave birth to Impressionism. I had a hard time finding out very much about him in the library of books I have on the history of world art and an even harder...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have had this book in my to read stack for a while and finally picked it up and read it! I really like this kind of book, but the last half reads too much like a history book. The book follows the events of 1863-the 1870's Paris and the Salon and the events of the time with Napoleon III and then into the Franco-Prussian war in the early 1870's, and how the events affected the artist’s lives. Mostly I find it interesting how Manet plugged along without any success like the other young Parisian...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Jesse Turner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-nonfiction, french-history

Admittedly this book was required reading for a art history course, and also embarrassingly enough it was the first piece of historical non-fiction I had, at the time, completed. I found the book to be highly fluid, and never have I read a piece of historical non-fiction so wonderfully engrossing, since.

The tale of the two artist provides an insightful social commentary of 19c. France, and it was this interweaving of social and political history that had me more than ready to attend my first da...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Candy Wood added it · review of another edition

Focusing on the painters Meissonier and Manet, Ross King provides a social and cultural history of Paris from 1863 to 1874. I knew about Manet but not Meissonier, some of whose paintings I must have seen in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Wallace Collection in London, and that’s part of King’s point: Meissonier’s careful brushwork and historical canvases received high praise then while Manet’s less-finished scenes of modern life were derided, but now their positions are reversed. Kin...more

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May 05, 2010 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

If one is interested in 19th C French history, the Impressionists, the Franco-Prussian War, and what the transition was like from highly technical academic art to Impressionism---this is THE book. The author moves back and forth from the life and work of Meissonier (a fanatically realistic painter (you will never believe the lengths to which he went to present anatomical perfection----of horses in battle scenes) to the struggles of Manet and his contemporaries.
The book is extremely well written...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lisa by: Good Reads Art Lovers group

Shelves: art, usa, 21st-century, non-fiction

I came across The Judgement of Paris via GoodReads where the Art Lovers group were reading it, and it’s a most interesting book. It’s the story of the birth of the Impressionist movement and the initial hostile reception by conservative forces in Paris, but the book also traverses the tumultuous period of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune so it’s interesting as a work of general history too.

To represent the opposing forces, King focuses on Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891) and Edouard Manet (1...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Kasey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just wanted to make a little note about this book:
I enjoyed it. However, it was really slow. There were many redundant words and some sentences could've been more concise.

But it gave me a new view to Impressionism. In fact, I've never enjoyed walking through art museums as much as I do now. (I'm especially excited seeing Manet's works.) I've never seen Meissonier's works! Ever! I wish I could, their descriptions and feelings that Ross King described really swayed me.

Interested in art/art histo...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Bruce Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting account of Parisian painters, particularly Manet, who never made a living by his art, and Paris' most successful painter, Messionier, through the years 1850-1880. The contrast and comparison between the two and by extrapolation, their peers, presented with the backdrop of the political and social changes of the times, muddies the waters of clear-cut, simplistic assumptions about academic painting, about impressionism. After multiple expletive deleteds, I came to appreciate the boo...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

I teach American art history, but I don't know nearly enough about European art. This fascinating book explains the beginnings of Impressionism in Second Empire Paris, with plenty of historical context about not only the artists and their mistresses (all had one or more, of course) but also about the politicians, scientists and quirky characters of what was then the virtual capital of the world. The title is a double entendre, referring to the "Salons" at which new paintings were exhibited and j...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Teri Robus rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading about Manet and Meissonier and how their lives wound around each other's but not actually meeting until the Franco-Prussian War, when Manet served under Meissonier. Didn't even know about Meissonier and i have taken Art History! i think this is because Meissonier painted very realistically as was the fashionable thing to do back then in the early 1800's. Manet was up and coming with his new style and finally at the end of his life (he died way too early at 51!) he was becoming...more

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About Ross King

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Ross King (born July 16, 1962) is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. He began his career by writing two works of historical fiction in the 1990s, later turning to non-fiction, and has since written several critically acclaimed and best-selling historical works.

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