Impressionism: Beneath the Surface

by Paul Smith

The art of the Impressionists is beloved of experts and non-experts alike. Paul Smith reexamines this popular group of artists in light of recent scholarship on the social context of late nineteenth-century France. He begins with Edouard Manet, often seen as a forerunner of Impressionism: a sophisticated, detached, ironic observer of the social scene in Paris. He then examines various key artists of the Impressionist movement - Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Cassatt, Monet, Pissarro - to offer a lively reading of such topics as the role of women in Impressionism, the influence of industrialization, the invention of modern color theory, the social position of the artist, and the use of psychoanalytic theory in the understanding of art. The result is to make this very familiar art movement seem fresh and new. To conclude, he proposes Cezanne's art as the culmination of, and heir to, the Impressionist experiment.

Genres: Art, History

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Paul Smith is Professor of History of Art at the University of Warwick. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, a visiting scholar and a scholar at the Getty Research Institute.

Paul Smith studied for his PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art under the supervision of Robert Ratcliffe, the eminent but obscure Cézanne scholar. Before that, he took his undergraduate degree at University College London, where he was taught aesthetics by the philosopher, Richard Wollheim. Both have had a lasting influence on his research.

Paul Smith works mostly on later 19th century French painting, and the theories that help explain it. He is also interested in the literature of the period, particularly recherché novels about art.

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photos were very nicely reproduced and especially useful to understand more clearly what he was presenting in his text. However I was not impressed by his writing and found it mostly long-winded, and not very illuminating or interesting, unfortunately.
And this is not because I am exceedingly knowledgeable about his subject matter.
A small volume with a nice cover found in my mother’s extensive library.

[Michael Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting analysis.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I know (knew) nothing about impressionist paintings, I found this book to be a very interesting read. I adored the full color plates and appreciated explanations of the paintings including historical references from the time. At times a bit dry, overall I thought this book was an excellent introduction to impressionism and it's painters.

[Joe Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to impressionism, though pretty basic.