Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity

by Gloria Groom (Editor)

This volume is the first to explore fashion as a critical aspect of modernity, one that paralleled and many times converged with the development of Impressionism, starting in the 1860s and continuing through the next two decades, when fashion attracted the foremost writers and artists of the day. Although they have depicted fashionable subjects throughout history, for many artists and writers, including Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Émile Zola, Gustave Caillebotte, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, fashion became integral to the search for new literary and visual expression. In a series of essays that examine fashion and its social, cultural, and artistic context during some of the most important years of the Impressionist era—years that also gave birth to the modern fashion industry—a group of fifteen scholars, drawn from five interdisciplinary fields, examine approximately 140 Impressionist-era artworks, including those by dedicated fashion portraitists, in light of the rise of the department store, new working methods for designing clothing, and new social and technological changes that led to the democratization of fashion and, simultaneously, its ascendance as a vehicle for modernity.

Genres: Art, Art History, Fashion, Fashion History, History, Nonfiction, France

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Susan Liston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn't I have loved to see this exhibit. Well the book is the next best thing. Very informative and beautifully put together.

[ktsn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art history dotted with cultural backdrops and anecdotes of artists would already be quite enjoyable. This book achieves more by adding another dimension - fashion - into the context. The resulting narrative of how immediacy of fashion echoes people's excitement (and anxiety) about modernity, how styles in attire reflect the society's idea about class and identity, and how fashions weave their fabrics into novels and canvas of late 19th century Paris, is very fascinating both visually and intellectually. Fashion plates, photos, and attires from the time also serve well as references - some clothes are exactly the ones depicted in the paintings.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about some of the aims and methods of Parisian painters in the late 1800s. It particularly focuses on their notions of modernity and how this influences their work. One idea considered particularly modern was a view of life as comprised of transitory moments and movements. This view, probably influenced by the rise of photography, is at the root of the emphasis in the works on fashion and public spaces. The fashions depicted are full of coded symbolism, due to the complexity of rules governing what could be worn, by whom, and at what time and place. The book is erudite and full of insight. The reproductions are universally wonderful.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Cette ignorance si envahissante." [Marcel Proust]

A profoundly dishonest show and an even more dishonest catalog. Every single term in the title, "Impressionism," "Fashion" and "Modernity" is willfully misread. To understand how "Modernity" applies to "Fashion," read Baudelaire's seminal and influential article, "The Painter of Modern Life." To understand how Baudelaire's strictures were applied by the Impressionists you'll next need to get beyond the lies and subterfuges practiced in the organization and signage of this show. Plenty of sexism and classism, here, but my personal peeve is the manner in which Degas's rabidly antisemitic caricature of the Jewish banker Ernest May is turned into some kind of a bland fashion statement. That's not simply overlooking inconvenient facts, it's enabling antisemitism. Then again, the instrumentalisation of antisemitism has been a feature of French culture since Dreyfus.

For more of my take on this show:

http://theorangepress.com/woid/woid20...

Paul Werner
Editor, WOID, a journal of visual language

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated compilation of essays on fashion and the Impressionists tells two stories at once: that of the evolution of French fashion during the 19th century, and how the Impressionists depicted clothing, mostly women's clothing, though there is a chapter on men and fashions. There are up close details that zoom in on the renderings of fabrics and trims, as well as reproductions of many paintings, advertisements, and photos of dresses displayed in museums around the world. The essays, each by a different author, are fascinating. Though the information sometimes overlaps, the approach of each author usually complements the others. Very well presented.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a companion to the traveling exhibit happening at the Met in February 2013. Interesting discussions of the correlation between art, late 19th century fashion trends, and the movement towards modernity at that period of time in French culture - with a specific focus on Impressionism. Looking forward to seeing the exhibit.

[Ptaylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book after seeing the exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago. I enjoyed the exhibit, and I like having the book because the reproductions are so good. I've been reading it for months, because it isn't the kind of book that you read straight through.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so, so interesting! I wasn't necessarily interested in every single chapter, so I, for example, didn't really carefully go through the chapter on men's fashion, but everything else was so well done and arranged! And the images are of really amazing quality!

[Mills College Library]

746.9209 I347 2012

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 2013 staff nonfiction favorite recommended by Jane.

Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/...