Manet by Himself

by Juliet Wilson-Bareau (Editor)

Widely recognised as the most influential artist of his generation and the leader of the group that become known as the Impressionists, this elegant Parisian from a conventional background, nonetheless expressed startlingly liberal views in such masterpieces as DEJEUNER SUR L'HERBE and OLYMPIA. Despite the furore over these paintings, Manet continued to challenge the Salon with his warmly human models, fascinating compositions and inimitable use of colour. He continually insisted that his art had to be seen 'whole'. In this unique volume, the artist's previously unpublished letters and verbatim records of conversations are combined with almost 240 beautiful colour reproductions of his work. From an early age, Manet revealed his powers of observation and his commitment to radical, progressive views in his letters, which convey the hopes and fears, the activities and amusements, and the successes and disappointments of this most mercurial and influential of artists.

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

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Tim Nason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars - The best part of the book is the cover which shows one of Manet's luminous paintings; the reproductions inside the book, showing other Manet works, are likewise stunning. The book attempts to enhance brief biographical sections about the painter with a profuse selection of letters written by Manet to family, friends, collectors and critics, from 1848 to 1883 (the year he died). The book also includes a map, a very detailed list of the plates, plus several pages of biographical notes about Manet's correspondents. All of this is brilliantly conceived but the execution is sadly lacking; the interior design, layout and typography looks like bad word processing, with the type too small (maybe 7 pt?), or an excess of white space around the too-small type (in the sections of letters), but not enough space between sentences in the text areas, with lines set to fill the page-width. The information is all valuable and informative, the reading extremely difficult.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had been reading it side-by-side with a biography on Manet. Many of the letters were squabbles or requests for money or references to events that I didn't quite understand. More context was needed for me to really get something out of it. Still, it would be good to revisit in the future, and I think it made Manet seem very human to me. There is always something humanizing about reading someone's letters, hearing about to their day-to-day life.

Also, there were good reproductions of a handful of Manet's works.

[MacKenzie Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book in the library by accident and squealed when I found it by luck at a thrift store. I mostly enjoy the humanness of the letters. There seemed to be a nice balance between ones that talked about his specific pieces versus ones that showed his true emotions — ranging from rage because of rejection, desperation in love, and fear admits a war. The book also has beautiful colored prints of both full paintings, as well as the illustrations that he watercolored on his letters.

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manet by Himself (An Art Book)
I was introduced to Manet during a vacation to Paris so when I saw this book, I decided to pick it up. It was good to flip through to look at the pictures and to read parts but I didn't read it cover to cover.