Impressionist Quartet: The Intimate Genius Of Manet And Morisot, Degas And Cassatt

by Jeffrey Meyers

Impressionist Quartet draws us into the inner lives of a core group of mid-nineteenth-century artists-Edouard Manet, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, and Berthe Morisot-known, collectively, as the "Impressionists." Derided by critics, sneered at by contemporaries, their work sold for pittances. They were either marginalized or dismissed altogether by the French art establishment. And, to some degree, their iconic works have eclipsed them.

Portraying them as individuals and as fellow conspirators in a new way of seeing and representing the world, Jeffrey Meyers brings to life this most popular and influential group of painters in the entire history of art. The result is an accessible and wonderfully illuminating book that offers readers a fresh way of looking at these artists and the priceless, timeless masterpieces they created.

Genres: Art, History, Biography, Art History, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, France

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2005

About the author

Jeffrey Meyers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, has recently been given an Award in Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Thirty of his books have been translated into fourteen languages and seven alphabets, and published on six continents. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a bore of a history book without any new value to more interesting descriptions of these four artists. It is mostly tedious descriptions of famous paintings. It would have been best to provide links to the works so the aesthetics are left to the reader freeing the author to discuss the context. The background research is limited but perhaps that reflects the ambitious plan to cover all four artists in a single book. But in fact, really only Manet and Degas are covered. Only one-third of the book is shared between Morisot and Cassatt and those parts are still dominated by the men. The women are not referred to in the parts devoted to the men. Women are all reduced to motherhood, dogs, and mental illness. Do the author and his editors really not realize that the number of women he refers to as having had "nervous breakdowns" far exceeds the possible number in the population? If he is just accounting for might have been recorded in the mid-19th century then he missed the opportunity to set the record straight. But he didn't synthesize information as much as record it. He didn't attempt to share new medical diagnoses for blindness or "cerebral congestion". A book of four individual parts of different artists warrants a summary chapter, more than just two paragraphs in the Cassatt section. But, again, the author didn't seem interested in synthesis. Each of the men was afforded his own sentence and the women shared one sentence. Another summary paragraph was again devoted to the men. Disgusting that artists who happen to be women are still being undermined and overshadowed by critiques of their male contemporaries.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slightly dry book that I didn't really need to read because I have already read most of what's here somewhere else. And I hate art books that do not provide an illustration but instead DESCRIBE a painting in detail to you. I can go look it up on the Internet if you are too cheap to reproduce it, thank you, don't DESCRIBE it to me. But this does get a point for not sloughing off Leon Koella but actually discussing the issue. I don't recall reading before that an illegitimate child in France could not be legitimized if it's parent was married to someone else at the time of conception. So if Leon was actually Manet's father's child, as some believe, then he could not have ever legitimized him. Which makes the most sense out that situation. I really hate it when authors state as fact something that is not known , and how many times have I read that Leon was Manet's son, period, a factual statement, when they may very well have actually been brothers.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very secondary book. I'd hoped to learn more about the relationships between Manet & Morisot, and especially Cassatt and Degas...but there is little here that I haven't found presented elsewhere, and in far less tedious terms.

For a book on four painters, there is a notable lack of reproduced paintings, and those paintings that are reproduced are in black and white, stealing the Impressionist vitality.

Moreover, the author is forever verbally describing paintings, and at length. What tedium! This horror reaches its apex when Meyers says that a certain painting (Degas' "The Absinthe Drinker") reminds him of, for frick's sake, a Hemingway short story ("A Clean Well Lighted Place) and then goes on to describe the Hemingway story itself. What strange decisions you make, Mr. Author.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read about the Impressionists, so I definitely learned some things about Manet, Morisot, Degas, and Cassatt. But the author grated on me for almost the whole book. He chose to frequently jump around in time, which is jarring, and his voice and style didn't suit me at all. In addition, I was disappointed at how short the section on Mary Cassatt was -- only 3 chapters, and a good portion of it was spent talking about Degas, despite the fact that he got his own longer section earlier in the book. Also, the fact that he referred to Marie van Goethem as having a reputation for promiscuity when she was only fourteen is ah, gross. She was an exploited child, and if anyone should get ick for that, it's the adults around her, like Edgar Degas.

I'd like to learn more about Impressionism, but I'll avoid Jeffrey Meyers in the future.

[Karen Soanes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so disappointing and I wanted to like it! Each artist is written about in isolation. These four artist do pop up in stories about each other- but only when their paths crossed, not in any meaningful way. If you're going to name this book Impressionist Quartet, one assumes their stories will be woven together to show how they influenced and competed with each other. The other disappointing aspect of this book is that the author describes major paintings and works along the way but there aren't any pictures of the artwork. A picture of the artwork as it is being described would have been very helpful. I looked several of them up while I was reading.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven treatment of subjects, pedantic descriptions of painting without illustrations, use of black and white illustrations. Did not enjoy. No unique perspective on any of his subjects.

I was just going to list off my grievances without forming them into sentences because this book was not worth my time. His treatment of Morisot was sexist and vapid. Essentially, he used her biography as a way of getting to Manet and Degas. Also, he seems to have dismissive view of her skills as an artist. He praises her technique but puts down her authority as a creative member of the impressionists.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Maxwell DeMay · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 / 4 : If your kind of thing, read

[The lives of Impressionists, Manet and Degas, and their respective groupies, Morisot and Cassatt.]

Featuring colorful commentary from their contemporaries, and often acerbic interjections of their own, Impressionist Quartet is a sampling of four artists.

As for how they harmonize, the book dedicates a chapter each. It is a glimpse into the interlocking world of the Impressionist painters, but doesn't quite get to the real, profound meat.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought he did a great job of describing the four artists and their art and their relationships. I did not like that he spent so much time telling about paintings that were not included and even the ones that were included were in black and white. 3.5 rounded up

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meyers is an accomplished scholar, biographer and editor, with highly regarded studies of Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, D.H. Lawrence and other literary lions to his credit. Writing about the impressionists is a perfect match for his talents because of the intimate relationship of art and letters in the late 19th century.
In his four-subject biography Meyers illuminates the intimacies of Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt. Their private ordeals and inner demons are used to accentuate the brilliance of their paintings and the revolutionary implications of their artistic vision. Many have speculated that the two male artists enjoyed sexual as well as artistic relationships with their female disciples. Meyers examines contemporary and modern secondary sources (the two couples’ letters were all burned), recording every connection. While he is not completely successful in this endeavor his journey is fascinating nonetheless.
An important aspect of nineteenth century art was the impact of Baudelaire. His concept of the modern painter was a charge of dynamite that Manet detonated in 1863 when he exhibited "Luncheon on the Grass." The enigmatic depiction of a nude woman lounging with fully dressed men in a forest glade was a frank admission of sexuality. It created a furor, as did his "Olympia," the even more arresting view of an unclothed (and visibly bored) prostitute viewing her next client. Both women look directly at the viewer, underscoring the complicity to be found in the eye of the beholder. Despite efforts to secure popular acclaim, Manet was never to rid himself of the notoriety provoked by "Luncheon" and "Olympia." Moreover, his inner torment affected his relationship with Berthe Morisot and found a counterpoint in the private lives of his friends Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt.
There is much more in this educating and entertaining look at the lives of four Impressionist masters.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dislike authors that insist of describing works of art in detail and not illustrating the work. Because of this I only made it to chapter 5 and then gave up.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful profiles of Manet and Morisot, Degas and Cassatt. I absolutely fell in love with Manet.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

learned more about Manet IN 1st 10 pages than ever knew

[Mike Mik · Rating 4 out of 5]

well-written

[Randine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super good biographies on 4 of my favorite artists.