Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment

by Sylvie Patry (Editor), Anne Robbins (editor), Mary Morton (editor)

Genres: Art, History

288 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2024

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this catalogue of the current art show “The Impressionist Moment” at the National Gallery in Washington. The many short articles about the historical and cultural context of the 1894 exhibit are a great addition to the paintings themselves. Wish I had been there!

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This remarkable catalogue was published to accompany an eponymous exhibit at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and later at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (from September 8th, 2024, thru January 19th, 2025) … the whole concept is to recreate the original 1874 first exhibit by the “Societe Anonyme des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, Etc.” (the core of which later became known as the “Impressionists”) … primarily a collection of essays on all aspects of this ground-breaking art show, it is also graced by a selection of full-page, color illustrations of many of the artworks originally featured … amazing …

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. this week while back there on a work trip. When I have the time, I always try and get over to the National Gallery to visit some of my favorite works of art. Up on the eastern side of the second floor of the West Building you'll find the American art of the "Hudson River School", British portraiture and landscapes, and French Impressionism. For me, this is the very best of the National Gallery.

The French Impressionists have always captivated me, and in museums in every city around the world that I have visited I have taken the opportunity to seek them out in the collections. This book documents the Salon of 1874 in Paris, where this young movement burst forth. This was a tumultuous period in France with the collapse of the Second Empire in 1870 and the start of The Third Republic, and writers and artists of all media were struggling to represent the impacts and affects upon Paris, France, and its peoples.

This book represents a joint-venture between France's Musée d'Orsay and the U.S. National Gallery of Art for an exhibition that highlights and explains the importance of the Paris Salon of 1874 where many of these important works of art were first exhibited and presented to the public at large. The book is a sumptuous feast of fantastic artworks by many artists that you've heard of and seen, and many that you've probably never encountered before. The text is very well written and provides important background information that puts the individual works and the movement in context, both chronologically and culturally. The U.S. exhibition of "Paris 1874: The Impressionist Movement" will begin at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in September 2024 and run through January 2025. I will definitely be making a special trip back to D.C. later this fall to view it.

This catalogue would most certainly enhance a reader's enjoyment of the novels of Emile Zola and Henri Guy de Maupassant. Just picking it up and paging through it for half-an-hour feels like a short trip to France and the 'City of Light'. 5/5 stars for me!

[Enzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comment se dire que derrière les quelques Édouard Manet, Eva Gonzalès, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Camille Pissaro, Alfred Sisley ou encore Paul Cézanne, décrits comme génies lorsque l’on aperçoit leurs belles œuvres aux musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie sans fondamentalement les comprendre, se trouvait en réalité une énorme persévérance dans l’envie d’inventer leur style par tous les moyens ?

Ce qu’il faut comprendre de l’arrivée de l’impressionnisme dans ces champs et ces conditions du Salon de 1874, c’est que l’impressionnisme n’a pas débuté avec un tableau, ni même avec une appellation-description des plus communes d’un des artistes, contrairement par exemple aux Nabis qui sont autoproclamés (ce n’est pas anachronique, mais c’est le premier exemple que j’ai). C’est le salon des Refusés, dans l’ultime, plus populaire que le Salon, qui vient donner l’idée à des journalistes de faire vie à ce mouvement artistique, qui finira par devenir le plus marquant auprès des amateurs d’art, presque aussi prestigieux que le réalisme.

La peinture étant presque exclusivement réservée aux bourgeois, faute de temps ou d’argent pour les autres, les règles sont strictes dans tous les domaines, et il faut, d’une façon ou d’une autre, vaincre le réalisme oui, mais aussi l’académisme, surtout l’académisme. S’il y a une chose qu’on peut remarquer de l’impressionnisme, c’est sa succession, non immédiate mais dans l’esprit, du romantisme, mouvement qui lui-même trouvait ses racines dans le refus d’un ordre, de règles. Les impressionnistes ne se sont pas seulement inspirés de ce refus : ils l’ont subi, et ont transcendé la vision de l’art moderne, et pour ce, devient un incontournable.

Je recommande de voir l’exposition au musée d’Orsay avant de lire le livre, mais ce n’est pas particulièrement nécessaire.

[Cette revue est rédigée pour l’Établissement public des musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie.]

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The catalogue for the recent show at the National Gallery. It is a beautifully produced book. I learned a lot from the essays (I like the way that the fonts alternate between the essays), and I think that I either got the wrong impression about the relationship between the Salon and the exhibit in Nadar's studio from the brief statements on the museum walls or from my preconceptions.
Naturally, the images in the book are only a vague reminder of what these paintings are like.

[Servabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Chestnut Trees at Osny, 1873, Camille Pissarro

2. Poppies, 1873, Claude Monet

[⋆˚✮ 𝓵𝓾𝒊𝓼𝓮 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect to dive into, study-wise and for annotations.