Berthe Morisot

by Jean-Dominique Rey, Sylvie Patry (Foreword)

A comprehensive, illustrated tribute to the life and works of the most influential female Impressionist painter. Berthe Morisot won over the Impressionists with her talent and became the first woman of the period alongside Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley. Morisot's paintings demonstrate how far ahead of her time she was when she created them, pioneering a new style of painting. However, she was underestimated for more than a century--most probably because she was a woman. This book, a comprehensive monograph showcasing the life and works of this influential artist, focusies on the important stages of her career, including her first participation in the Salon de Paris at the age of twenty-three in 1864. Moreover, the book assesses the significance of the time certain paintings were created, taking into consideration what was happening in the artist's life during that period. For example, in 1874 Berthe married Eugène, Manet's brother, and gave birth to their daughter, Julie Manet, who became the subject of many of Morisot's subsequent paintings. Berthe Morisot includes personal correspondence between Morisot and other important figures of the Impressionist movement, providing unique insight into this fascinating period. Portraits of her by her fellow artists have become significant works from the period. Likewise, she was heralded by the greatest writers of her time; a tribute anthology of citations from Paul Valéry, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Jean Cocteau offers an intimate portrait of the artist and her work. This book is an essential read for any lover of Berthe Morisot's work, and indeed for anyone who appreciates the work of the Impressionists. Her works can be found in: The National Gallery, Washington D.C., Cleveland Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas Museum of the Arts, The Art Institute Williamstown, Massachusetts, as well as many other institutions.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, Biography, History

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[John Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunningly beautiful, fully illustrated account of the life and works of the immensely talented impressionist artist Berthe Morisot.



Known as the most prominent female impressionist artist of the era, I would argue that she is one of the best artists of any gender from any era.



I'm surprised by how few people are familiar with Morisot and her work. There is so much to love here--I highly recommend this beautiful volume devoted to Morisot's life and art.

[E. G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foreword: "This Singularly Painterly Painter", by Sylvie Patry

--Berthe Morisot

Appendices:
Illustrated Biography
Correspondence
Solo Exhibitions
List of Illustrations
Bibliography

Photographic Credits

[Lulufrances · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a stunning oeuvre and how beautiful this whole book.
Very glad I got to immerse myself in the world of Berthe Morisot. (And will get to for the next few weeks as I'm writing an essay on her for uni, so I will not use up my words here.)

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnificent book - Morisot was a genius. The Irish novelist George Moore said of her: "Only one woman created a style, and that woman is Madame Morisot. Her pictures are the only pictures painted by a woman that could not be destroyed without creating a blank, a hiatus in the history of art.” It is impossible to disagree.

This book contains two essays, neither of which interested me. But the pictures, and the selection, are magnificent - beautifully reproduced. In addition, there are fascinating photographs, an illustrated biography, passages from her correspondence, including her final letter to Julie Manet.

Near the end, the authors have reproduced an envelop on which Mallarmé, who was very close to Morisot, wrote the following instructions.

Apporte ce livre, quand naît//
Sur le Bois l'Aurore amarante,//
Chez Madame Eugène Manet//
Rue au loin Villejust, quarante

Julie Manet was born in 1978, when Morisot was 38. Eugène died in 1892, and Morisot in 1895. Julie, who is the subject of many of these pictures, was then raised by Mallarmé (who himself died in 1898). In fact, many of these pictures show themselves to be a mediation on the transitoriness of human life, the passing of youth, and of death.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite impressionist painters grossly overlooked by history.

[lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A body of work as discreet as the woman who so diligently produced it, withut fuss or show, a secret oeuvre whose true value is discovered with the distance established by time, a body of work of profound depth that seems, one the surface, merely to gather the fruits of each passing moment, to capture the pollen that floats rapidly away."

In writing an art book review, it's hard to divorce the art from the book, especially in a case like this where I love the artist so, so, so much. But I loved every minute I spent pouring through this, from Sylvie Patry's foreword, to the incredibly moving original correspondence, displaying Morisot's own handwriting, included at the end.

I did find Rey's writing a touch dramatic, but I think Patry's foreword does a good job of balancing this out, and, honestly, I can't blame him — my art history essays back in the day were probably just as bombastic.

Before starting this project to try and actually read all of the art books I've accumulated, I was honestly feeling a little resistant to it, but I've already experienced so much joy and been so inspired from these first two, so I'm so glad I decided to do this. This one has definitely set a new standard for all art books going forward!

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing to match her paintings-delicate and full of love for light, color, and life. I really enjoyed this book!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive, illustrated tribute to the life and works of the most influential female Impressionist painter. Berthe Morisot won over the Impressionists with her talent and became the first woman of the period alongside Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley. Morisot's paintings demonstrate how far ahead of her time she was when she created them, pioneering a new style of painting. However, she was underestimated for more than a century--most probably because she was a woman. This book, a comprehensive monograph showcasing the life and works of this influential artist, focusies on the important stages of her career, including her first participation in the Salon de Paris at the age of twenty-three in 1864. Moreover, the book assesses the significance of the time certain paintings were created, taking into consideration what was happening in the artist's life during that period. For example, in 1874 Berthe married Eugène, Manet's brother, and gave birth to their daughter, Julie Manet, who became the subject of many of Morisot's subsequent paintings. Berthe Morisot includes personal correspondence between Morisot and other important figures of the Impressionist movement, providing unique insight into this fascinating period. Portraits of her by her fellow artists have become significant works from the period. Likewise, she was heralded by the greatest writers of her time; a tribute anthology of citations from Paul Valéry, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Jean Cocteau offers an intimate portrait of the artist and her work. This book is an essential read for any lover of Berthe Morisot's work, and indeed for anyone who appreciates the work of the Impressionists. Her works can be found in: The National Gallery, Washington D.C., Cleveland Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas Museum of the Arts, The Art Institute Williamstown, Massachusetts, as well as many other institutions.

[Alarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I took an art history class on the French Impressionists in college, Mary Cassatt was the only female artist named, and the male instructor disdained her art as “women’s work.” I was in the first coed class at The University of Virginia, and had to put up with a lot of sexism. In the past 5-10 years, I began to notice Morisot’s work. It was gratifying to hear how many of the male painters admired her and even considered her a leader of their movement. The broad assortment of color paintings in this collection was what I most enjoyed. The art alone would get a 5-star rating from me, but the writing was too repetitive. Still, I’d recommend this book to anyone with a passion for French Impressionism.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the plates of her work. Only 3 stars for the 2 essays. Have you ever gone to an event when the person who introduces the speaker goes on and on for too long with too much detail, giving her own speech? Had to skip over Sylvie’s intro then come back to it after I had read Jean-Dominique’s defense of Berthe’s place in art history as a innovative Impressionist.

[Joel Ackerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morisot was the equal of her Impressionist friends and they treated her as such, even if some painters and critics did not. She was influenced by and influenced Manet and Renoir, and had some of her earliest lessons by Corot.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely pictures but didn't enjoy the text.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became very interested in Berthe Morisot after reading Paris in Ruins and loved this book about her life and paintings. I had no idea she was so much ahead of her time and a real leader of the Impressionist movement. I particularly love the paintings of her family and daughter.