The Impressionists at First Hand

World of Art

by Bernard Denvir (Editor)

An updated edition of this classic collection of letters, critical reviews, and reminiscences by impressionist artists and their contemporaries. The impressionists―Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and others―are probably the most popular of all artistic schools. Their struggle to impose a new vision is one of the most absorbing stories in the whole history of art. With imagination and insight, art historian Bernard Denvir brings impressionism into focus by showing it through the eyes of the artists themselves and their contemporaries, against the background of the time. Through letters, critical reviews, statements, and reminiscences of the people who were there, the story of this groundbreaking art movement comes alive. This was the age of innovation, political liberalization, emergent photography, and modern ideas about perception. The impressionists had new ways of painting, but they also had a new world to paint. This revised edition now features full-color reproductions of art throughout and an updated bibliography. 178 color illustrations

Genres: Art, Art and Photography, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1987

Reviews

[Tom Connor]

Not really a topic I knew anything about. Interesting to learn how radical there were as a movement, even if the paintings seem pretty tame by today's standards. Modernity and Paris is such an interesting topic so was nice that this book managed to weave that in and managed to show its relevance with photography (a real art form). Was a nice approach to biography to have it all written in first-hand accounts, even if that does make for some dry reading at points. Was very funny for a book that is all about a group of people who prioritised colour over everything, with multiple first-hand accounts of people saying how impressionism is first and foremost about colour, to have 90% of the pictures be in black and white.

[Robert Cormican · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in contemporary information about the Impressionists, you can find primary sources translated and collated here. This has passages from the French - and other - critics and key players. Denvir includes all the reviews that I have heard of and some interesting biographical articles on the artists themselves. Really useful and well presented.

[Mills College Library]

759.4 I348 1987