On September 15 we are hosting a program: Art History Presentation – French Impressionism with local art historian, Joan Quinn, who will lead a lively discussion of the movement and paintings by Monet, Renoir and Cassatt. French Impressionism started as a rebellion of a few young artists in Paris around 1863 against a rigid art establishment. It took the Impressionist artists about 20 years before ridicule was replaced by recognition. French Impressionism has paved the way for all subsequent 20th century art movements. We hope you can attend, but if not there are many library resources to explore the French Impressionists and indulge in these gorgeous works!
Books
Impressionists Side By Side : Their relationships, rivalries, and artistic exchanges
Art historian Barbara Ehrlich White focuses on the personal and professional relationships between 7 pairs of artists: Degas and Manet; Monet and Renoir; Cézanne and Pissaro; Manet and Morisot; Cassatt and Degas; Morisot and Renoir; and Cassatt and Renoir – How they relied on each other for comradeship, support, inspiration, ideas, and techniques…how they were bound by the ties of friendship…and how, at times, these same associations could include envy, antagonism, and even deep dislike. To tell this story Barbara Ehrlich White has assembled hundreds of illustrations, scores of which are reproduced here in full color for the first time. All the canvases the artists painted of identical subjects are explored side by side, as well as the artists’ portraits of one another, a marvelous means of conveying the emotional truth of their relationships. And, by delving into hundreds of letters, diaries, and interviews, the author enriches our sense of the artists’ lives on the most intimate level.
Impressionist quartet : the intimate genius of Manet and Morisot, Degas and Cassatt
In this book, Jeffrey Meyers follows the lives of four Impressionist painters whose rebellious work was scorned by the critics and derided by their contemporaries. The French art establishment dismissed them altogether and at the time they sold for very little. Impressionist Quartet describes the relationships between these artists and how they struggle emotionally and intellectually to create a new way of seeing and representing the world.
Guide to Impressionist Paris: Nine Walking Tours to the Impressionist Painting Sites in Paris
The traveler to France can now discover the beauty of Paris while following in the exact footsteps of well-known Impressionist painters. Featuring nine walking tours to eighty famous painting sites, the reader can stand where the artist stood and see what they saw. Now tourists, art lovers, and armchair travelers alike can discover the beauty of the French capital while looking through the eyes of Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Van Gogh, and other well-known Impressionists.
Online
Digital Public Library of America
Do a search for French Impressionism and you can explore individual paintings as well as the works of artists inspired by the French Impressionists. Highly recommend narrowing your search to highlight “images” and “physical objects”. (Free & accessible anywhere)
Bibliography of the History of Art (The Getty Research Institute)
The Getty Museum is home to some of the world’s most famous works of art. Search by subject or artist and you can find high-quality images (that you can download!) with expert analysis of the work. Try for example a search for “Claude Monet” and explore images, collections, and even audio commentary. (Free & accessible anywhere)
ARTstor
ARTstore is the most comprehensive image gallery online in the world, and the site is really well designed. Although a subscription is required, their blog has a lot of fantastic articles on all things art, with a fresh perspective, for example this post “The bourgeois pup: artists and dogs in the 19th-century home” A very approachable way to learn about fine art.
