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Impressionism
“I paint what I see and not what it pleases others to see.”
What other words than these of Édouard Manet, seemingly so different from the sentiments of Monet or Renoir, could best define the movement of Impressionism? Without a doubt this singularity was explained when, shortly before his death, Claude Monet wrote: “I remain sorry to have been the cause of the name given to a group the majority of which did not have anything Impressionist.”
In this work, Nathalia Brodskaia examines the contradictions of this late 19th century movement through the paradox of a group who, while forming a coherent ensemble, favoured the affirmation of artistic individuals. Between academic art and the birth of modern, non-figurative painting, the road to recognition was long. Analysing the founding elements of the movement, the author follows, through the works of each of the artists, how the demand for individuality gave rise to modern painting.
What other words than these of Édouard Manet, seemingly so different from the sentiments of Monet or Renoir, could best define the movement of Impressionism? Without a doubt this singularity was explained when, shortly before his death, Claude Monet wrote: “I remain sorry to have been the cause of the name given to a group the majority of which did not have anything Impressionist.”
In this work, Nathalia Brodskaia examines the contradictions of this late 19th century movement through the paradox of a group who, while forming a coherent ensemble, favoured the affirmation of artistic individuals. Between academic art and the birth of modern, non-figurative painting, the road to recognition was long. Analysing the founding elements of the movement, the author follows, through the works of each of the artists, how the demand for individuality gave rise to modern painting.
- GenresArtNonfiction
199 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
26 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Nathalia Brodskaia
108 books4 followersNathalia Brodskaïa est conservateur au musée de l'Ermitage à Saint-Pétersbourg. En tant qu'auteur, elle a publié des monographies sur Rousseau, Renoir, Derain, Vallotton, Vlaminck et Van Dongen ainsi que des livres sur les Fauves et l'art naïf. Aujourd'hui, Nathalia Brodskaïa consacre ses recherches aux peintres français de la fin du XIXe et du début du XXe siècle.
Nathalia Brodskaia is also known as Natalia Brodskaya.
Nathalia Brodskaia is also known as Natalia Brodskaya.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 27, 2020
DNF at 50%
it was okay but the writing gets really boring so reading it felt like just going through endless repetitive paragraphs, and i really enjoyed looking at the paintings more than reading about them.
i really loved the part about Claude Monet since he's one of my favorite impressionists.
"it was more important to paint what one saw, rather than how one was taught"
it was okay but the writing gets really boring so reading it felt like just going through endless repetitive paragraphs, and i really enjoyed looking at the paintings more than reading about them.
i really loved the part about Claude Monet since he's one of my favorite impressionists.
"it was more important to paint what one saw, rather than how one was taught"
May 31, 2019
3.5 ⭐️
This is a really great book to teach you about Impressionism! It tells you the lives of each Impressionist artist, interweaving a lot of their art and explaining how they came to Impressionism, how they knew each other and what the style is. I enjoyed it, and it makes me want to break out my paints and brushes!
This is a really great book to teach you about Impressionism! It tells you the lives of each Impressionist artist, interweaving a lot of their art and explaining how they came to Impressionism, how they knew each other and what the style is. I enjoyed it, and it makes me want to break out my paints and brushes!
March 29, 2024
Está bien, es fácil de leer y contiene varias pinturas, pero me hubiese gustado que tuviera más información.
May 19, 2015
This book is by no means an authoritative work on the Impressionism art movement. However, its very simplicity and straightforward structure makes it a very good introduction to the topic for non connosseurs like myself. There's a brief history of Impressionism, how the movement came to be, the main painters involved in it and plenty of illustrations to back the text.
There's also a brief biography of the key painters such as Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Morisot and Pissarro. Hopefully after reading this book you'll want to know more about a particular artist or a more comprehensive account about the movement. As I said, this book made the perfect introduction to the topic for me.
There's also a brief biography of the key painters such as Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Morisot and Pissarro. Hopefully after reading this book you'll want to know more about a particular artist or a more comprehensive account about the movement. As I said, this book made the perfect introduction to the topic for me.
January 24, 2013
"Para aprender realmente, existe sólo el Louvre".
April 4, 2019
This is an excellent resource for one who wishes to study the period of Impressionism in art because it not only has vivid full color paintings in the book, but bu each painting it tells the life story of a specific artist along with their technique. The volume begins with the Impressionists and Academic Painting with the 1st Impressionist Exhibition and covers artists such as: Edouard Monet, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Berthe Morisot.
May 12, 2025
ES UN BUEN LIBRO QUE TE ENSEÑA COMO FUE SURGIENDO ESTE MOVIMIENTO ARTÍSTICO, ME HUBIERA GUSTADO QUE LAS OBRAS QUE SALEN TUVIERAN UN POCO MAS DE INFORMACIÓN.
FÁCIL DE LEER, DE ENTENDER Y APRECIAR ESTE ARTE
FÁCIL DE LEER, DE ENTENDER Y APRECIAR ESTE ARTE
August 17, 2020
Very nice book.
Pleasant for reading, nice descriptions and lovely pics.
A must for Art lovers!
Pleasant for reading, nice descriptions and lovely pics.
A must for Art lovers!
July 18, 2014
I really enjoyed getting into this book on the kindle, even though the display was small I saw some artwork by these great masters I had never seen before (private collection pieces, galleries I've not visited) and that was really enjoyable. Also, I learned even more about the history of this movement and the lives of some key players...fun and relaxing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews