Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists and the Art of the Past

by Ann Dumas (Editor), Xavier Bray, Michael Clarke

Inspiring Impressionism explores links between Impressionists and the major European art-historical movements that came before them, demonstrating how often beneath the Impressionists’ commitment to capturing contemporary life there lay a deep exploration of the art of the past. Presenting Impressionist works by artists including Manet, Monet, Degas, Bazille, Cassatt, and Cézanne alongside those of Raphael, El Greco, Rubens, Velázquez, and others, the book shows that while the Impressionists moved toward modernity and spontaneity, they remained conscious of and interested in the traditions, techniques, and subject matter of their predecessors. Essays by leading scholars reveal the ways Impressionists drew inspiration from earlier artists from periods ranging from the Italian Renaissance through the early 19th-century Classical and Romantic traditions. A detailed chronology and fascinating comparisons of landscapes, portraits, nudes, still lifes, and genre paintings provide readers with new opportunities to understand the work of both the Impressionists and Old Masters.

Distributed for the Denver Art Museum

Exhibition High Museum of Art, Atlanta (October 13, 2007 – January 13, 2008) Denver Art Museum (February 23 – May 25, 2008) Seattle Art Museum (June 19 – September 21, 2008)

Genres: Art

280 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2007

Reviews

[Laura Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and so wish I would have caught the exhibit when it was in Seattle! This book beautifully reveals the lines between the Impressionists and the Old Masters while also informing the reader of more individual aspects of each subject touched upon, and the pictures illustrate all of the very informative points perfectly. Anyone who enjoys delving deeper into art would enjoy this book. You're guaranteed to learn a lot, and just so you'll get a better understanding of what you'll learn, I'll tell you what's inside...

This book contains 217 color and 12 black-and-white illustrations, and is composed of a series of essays that act as chapters, which include:
-Old Art into New: The Impressionists and the Reinvention of Tradition, by Anna Dumas
-Impressionism and the Golden Age of Dutch Art, by Frances Suzman Jowell
-Sketches of Spain: The Spanish Old Masters and the French Impressionists, by Xavier Bay
-Painted in an Hour: Impressionism and Eighteenth-Century French Art, by Richard Rand
-Impressions of Old Masters: The Landscape Tradition, by Michael Clarke
-In Search of the Past: The Case of Still Life, by Lesley Stevenson
-Genre: Painting without a Subject?, by John House
-An Elegant Alliance: Impressionist Portraiture and the Art of the Past, by John Collins
-Chronology: 1849-1910, by Angelica Daneo

So if any of that sounds interesting, and trust me, it's interesting, pick this book up!

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Prints throughout are well organized to juxtapose appropriate text. Evidence presented for inspiration by old masters is weak and explained poorly in parts even though they are often obvious

[Stormy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful exhibition.