Table Of Content.
and
mpressionists Impressionism
JZZ0L1
;
On the cover:
ClaudeMonet: Impression, Sunrise(detail), 1872. MuseeMarmottan,
Paris. Thispainting, shown at thefirstgroup exhibition in 1874, was
singled outfor ridicule bythejournalistLouisLeroy, who ironically
dubbedthegroup "impressionists"(cf. page 105).
Firstpublished 1970
First paperback edition 1980
%Published in the United States of America in 1980 by
ZZOLI INTERNATIONALPUBLICATIONS,INC.
712FifthAvenue New York 10019
© 1980 by Editions d'Art Albert Skira S.A., Geneva
Allrightsreserved.
No parts of this book may be
reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without permission
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-5471
ISBN: 0-8478-0341-4
All reproduction rights reserved by S.P.A.D.E.M.
(Syndicat de la Propriety Artistique), Paris
A.D.A.P.G. (Association pour la Defense des Arts Plastiques
et Graphiques), Paris; and Cosmopress, Geneva.
PrintedinSwitzerland
• Main Text
Impressionists
MARIA AND GODFREY BLUNDEN
• Documentary Notices
• Synoptic Sequence of Witness Ac-
countsby the Painters,TheirFriends,
and the Writers and Critics of the
Impressionist Period
JEAN-LUC DAVAL
and Impressionism
c
Rizzoli
V^jjNEWYORK
:
What this book is about
THE"GILDEDANDVOLUPTUOUSPROMISES"OFTHE
SECONDEMPIRE 10
INGRES 12
COROT 13
DELACROIX 14
MILLET:THECRYOFTHEEARTH 15
THEOFFICIALGLORIESOFTHESALON 18
THEDRAMATICREALISMOFCOURBET 19
FROMREALISMTOANOBJECTIVEANDPOETIC
NATURALISM 22
MANET,THEFASCINATINGMANOFTHEWORLD,AND
DEGAS,THESARCASTICMISANTHROPE,WEREATONE
INTHEIRSCORNFORCONVENTIONS 24
DEGASFOLLOWSMANETINTHEPATHOFMODERNITY 29
INQUESTOFANIMMEDIATEEXPRESSIONOFTHE
SENSES 32
ACHILDHOODFRIENDSHIP CEZANNEANDZOLA 35
:
CEZANNEANDZOLAMAKINGTHEIRWAYINPARIS 36
THEACADEMIESUISSE 37
LEHAVRE SEA,SKYANDLIGHT 38
:
THEYOUNGPISSARROINTHEANTILLES 41
THESTUDIOOFBAZILLE 42
"THEPAINTERSOFTHENEWPAINTING" 45
MANET,ANEXAMPLERATHERTHANAMASTER 46
WRITERSANDFRIENDS 48
THESALONS 49
DAUMIER THEPUBLICATTHESALON 53
:
THE"OLYMPIA"SCANDAL 57
FONTAINEBLEAU THEFIRSTOPENAIRCOMPOSITIONS 58
:
PAINTERSANDPHOTOGRAPHY 62
THEDISCOVERYOFJAPANESEPRINTSANDTHEIR
INFLUENCEONTHEIMPRESSIONISTS 65
CEZANNEDIVIDESHISTIMEBETWEENPARISANDAIX 66
MANETANDHISMODELS 68
THEWORLD'SFAIROF1867 70
THECAFEGUERBOIS 74
BOUGIVAL EARLYVENTURESINOPENAIRPAINTING 75 THEFLASHOFTHESNAPSHOT 144
:
LEDEJEUNERSURL'HERBE 81 MANET THEBARATTHEFOLIES-BERGERE
:
"SOMEDAZZLINGSEASCAPES" 82 THECAFES
LAGRENOUILLERE 84 THECAFECONCERTS
MONTMARTRE 87 FESTIVALMAGIC
INTHESTREETSANDBOULEVARDSOFPARIS 89 GLIMPSESOFDAILYLIFE 155
THEWAROF1870 92 INTHESTREETSOFPARISWITHRENOIR 159
COURBETANDTHEPARISCOMMUNE 94 THECONSTANCYOFNATURE 160
MONETANDPISSARROINLONDON 99 FRIENDS,COLLECTORS,ANDDEALERS 164
AFTERTHEWAR 100 GATHERINGSATTHECAFEDELANOUVELLEATHENES 169
DEGASINNEWORLEANS 102 MARYCASSATT 172
AMANETSUCCESSATTHESALON 103 PISSARRO'SINFLUENCEONTHEYOUNGERGENERATION 174
1874 FIRSTGROUPEXHIBITION 105 NEWLINESOFRESEARCHANDEXPERIMENT 178
:
PAINTINGFROMNATURE 115 THESALONPAINTERSANDTHEINDEPENDENTS 180
THELIGHTOFTHESEASONS 116 CEZANNE THESOLITARYPATHFINDER 181
:
THERADIANCEOFSPRING 118 CEZANNE RIGOROFDESIGNANDVISION 184
:
THESUMMERSUN 120 PISSARROANDHUMANITARIANSOCIALISM 193
ALLTHECOLORSOFNATURE 123 THEFIRSTCEZANNEEXHIBITIONSATVOLLARD'S 195
THETHEMEOFTHESTILLLIFE 124 DEGASANDTHESHATTERINGOFFORM 196
FITFULANDFLEETINGREFLECTIONS 126 RENOIRINTHELIGHTOFTHESOUTH 198
ARGENTEUILANDTHEBANKSOFTHESEINE 133 IMPRESSIONISMONTHEEVEOFSUCCESS 202
SUNDAYSATTHEMOULINDELAGALETTE 134 MONET'S"HOMEPORT"ATGIVERNY 204
ANDSUNDAYOUTINGSATBOUGIVAL 135 MONETANDTHEGREATSETSOFPICTURES 205
...
THEPARISBOULEVARDS 137 THEPOPLARS 205
THEEYEOFDEGAS 138 THECATHEDRALS 206
.
CLAUDEMONET THEGARESAINT-LAZARE 141 LONDONANDVENICE 207
:
THESUSPENDEDMOMENT 142 THEWATERLILIESOFGIVERNY 209
ANDSUSPENDEDMOVEMENT 143 "THEMAGNIFICENTPOETRYOFTHEPASSINGMOMENT" 210
...
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Impressionists
and Impressionism
ClaudeMonet:Carriires-Saint-Denis. 1872.
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WH
LIVE in an age of Insurgency. A score of contemporary
powerseizureshavemadeusfamiliarwiththetechniqueof
the coup d'etat and the ideology of the popular revolution.
From the vantage point ofa sophisticated century, therefore, we may
look back on the career ofLouis Napoleon Bonaparte with a certain
detachment and even that wry amusement which comes from recog-
nizing familiar patterns of totalitarian behavior.
Louis Bonaparte was a loner, that is, he had no party behind
him. nor any popular movement. He made his bid for power by
means ofan alliance with the French bourgeoisie at a time when that
Ihomai I ruturi Mi. Romanso) ihi I't-cadenci 1847 formidable class ofpeople was profoundly shaken by the Revolution
of1848.Thatrevolutionhadwritten "finis "totherestoredmonarchy
the new Republic, the second in France's history, was becoming
There is —room today, in painting and threateningly class conscious. The fact that he was a nephew of the
sculpture not mentioning the rest- illustrious Napoleon I gave Louis an edge with the popular electorate
and at a critical hour he had seemed, not without a good deal of
there is room. I don't sayfor a great maneuvering on his part, a useful compromise leader, a compromise
artist (great artists are welcome at all reflected inhistitleof Prince-President. Itwasacontradiction interms
times), but for a revolution. which he soon resolved in a classic coup d'etat. December 1851, by
PIERRE-JOSEPH PROUDHON which means he became Emperorofthe French.
Close to two hundred republican workers had been killed on the
barricades while politicians and journalists were beingimprisoned. In
the subsequent "cleansing" of public life, ten thousand republicans
were deported to Algeria, some two thousand exiled for life (not
countingthose, like Victor Hugo, whowent into voluntaryexile) and
three hundred sent to Devil's Island, the "dry guillotine" ofhis late
Uncle's regime. The hardy republican slogan, Liberte, Egalite. Frater-
nite, was erased from the walls ofParis.
Theideology upon whichtheEmperorplannedtobasehisregime
wasonethat would reflect nationalglory, beconstantlydivertingand
convincingly authoritarian. The career of matchless opulence and
ostentation upon which he now plunged was less a matter of self-
indulgence(thoughitwasthattoo)thanacalculatedpolicyofimperial
grandeur, intended toinspireemulationamongtherichandadoration
in the minds of the irretrievably humble.
SotheFrenchsawtheirlatestEmperorinhisvoituredegala, ahuge
vehicle,allredvelvetandgilding,fromthecenterofwhichroseagreat
crowned eagle whose outspread wings sheltered the imperial occu-
pant; or they saw theirEmperoras a "manoffashion, " gallopinghis
curricle through the streets, a faint smile behind the large waxed
moustache; or they saw their Emperor dancing to a barrel organ,
because (popular touch) "an orchestra is so awkward. " dancing the
polka, the mazurka, lancers and quadrilles like everybody else; or if
privileged, they were reassured to see the Emperor in white cashmere
breeches, black stockings and dress sword, the long white shirtfront
barred by thecarmineofthe Legion, receivingnotablesintheSalondes
Marechaux. And becauseheis, aboveall. a soldier, therearescintillat-
ing military parades: the brilliant new uniforms at Longchamp as the
Emperor reviews thetroops (only one in fivecan read): theCuirassiers
intheirpolishedsteelbreastplatesgoingpastat thegallop;thetrotting
Lancers a veritable harvest ofglittering helmets, fur busbys, shakoes
and schapkas; the artillery with its new brass cannons (the secret QuaidtsGranas-Auj;ii>.rmv Paris, m 1858.
Photograph
weapons, e.g. thedeadly mitrailleuse and the breech-loading chassepol,
are kept out of sight); the Fantassins in their long black tunics, the Franz IVinterhalter:
fezzed Turcos in short pants and the turbaned Zouaves in red panta- flu Imperoi NTapoleon III
loons, the Chasseurs a pied quickstepping to Rossini's new trumpet
march played by a bugle band, the little canxinieres in colored
petticoats with miniature casks ofcognac swinging from their shoul-
ders, finally the husky Sapeurs with bristling chin-beards, fur caps,
white aprons and glittering axes (at the Alcazar, crowds going mad
over Theresa's deep-voiced: Rien n'est sacre pour un Sapeurl); the
EmperorstandingintheChampdeMarspresentingeaglestothearmy,
as his uncle had done, or signing treaties with an eagle's quill (in the
shadow of the Vendome Column, decrepit veterans in the rags of
Waterloo nodding solemn approval).
;
And because, after all. it tak run a palace, they see the The "Gilded and Voluptuous Promises "
Emperor married to tall and beautiful I ugenia Maria de Montijo de ofthe Second Empire
Guzman at Notre Dame de Paris; the vast nave hung with velvet, the
archesbankedwithflowersandtheaislesablazewithcandlesandgold
larme, the bride wearing blue velvet with a long, lace-covered train,
At the timeof the 1855 World's Fair Ingres was 75 yearsold.
clustersofdiamonds inhercorsage, onherred-gold haira longveil of Corot 59, Delacroix 57, Diaz 47. Thiodore Rousseau 43, Millet 41,
Alencon lace under a crown of orange flowers, the high comb and Daubigny 38andCourbet 36.
diadem in magnificent sapphires; Emperor and Empress in their As for the generation of the Inpressionists, Pissarro was 25.
modestlittlemarriagecarriagewith painted panelsandsatincushions MBearntehte2M3o.riDseogtas14.21, Cezanneand Ssley 16. Monet 15. Renoirand
embroidered with the large "N " that was making its reappearance
everywhere, intapestry,silverwareandonstonebridges; theEmperor
and Empress receiving at the Tuileries Palace, the bedazzled guests Honors Daumier: An Excusable
slowlyclimbingthecurvingstairwaybetweentherigidrowsofgreen- Error. Chickens imaginingsthey
and-gold Cent-Gardes whose tallhelmets also bearthe Imperial cipher. have rediscovered the cage in
TheyseeEmperorandEmpresssettingthefashion: femininedress Lwihtihcohgratphhe,y 1s8pe5n7t. thfir infancy.
weighed down with tinsel, lace, fal-lals, tulles, ribbons and artificial
flowers, thecrinolinewhichpermittedwomentoglideacrosspolished
floors, but nevertosit; theirmalecompanionsofwealthandbanality
wearing tight trousers and wasp-waisted long-tailed coats, painted
facesandcircularmoustaches,largewatchchains,trinketsandgloves
Emperor and Empress at a grand bal costume, Eugenie's lovely bare
shoulders the magnet ofcompulsive stares.
Foreignsovereignscometostareandwonder theCzarofRussia,
:
theKingofPrussia,QueenVictoria(thrilledtohaveheardtheEmperor
whisper to the Empress, "Lomme tu es belle "), thePrinceofWales, the
Sultan of Turkey, gentlemen from Japan. They see Emperor and
Empress dancing to the melodies ofOffenbach at the Bal Mabille and
theValentino, ridingtogetherat Fontainebleau. skatingonthelakeat
Boulogne, at boating parties, drags, shoots, reviews; the Emperor,
engagedona "LifeofCaesar" whiletheEmpress plays at spiritualism
andthecultofMarieAntoinette Emperorand Empressat theTheatre
;
FranqaistoseeSarahBernhardtinLaDameauxCamelias. attheThe'atre
Italien to hear Adelina Patti in M. Gounod's new opera the Emperor
— — ;
alone in his boxtosee forthe hundredth time Hortense Schneider
in La Belle Helene, alone at many another voluptuous, but private,
performance. This is the wine ofsuccess.
At themoment oftaking power, Louis Napoleon had quoted the
—
oldFrenchproverb: Quandlevinesttire, ilfaut leboire whenthewine
is drawnitmust bedrunk. Thelittleman with thesallowcomplexion
and dull eyes, the long cruel cheeks and the clotted moustache, had
seizedthecup. Theoppositionhad beencrushed. Hehadsetthestage,
he thought, for a new andglorious epoch in the history ofFrance.
How could Louis Napoleon have known that France's lasting
gloryin thetwodecadesofhisrule residednot inhimself, hisarmyor
hiscourt,butinthetalentsofafewyoungpeople,onlyoneofthemyet
ofage. In the year that Napoleon tasted the totalitarian wine Camille
Pissarro was twenty-one; Edouard Manet was nineteen and Edgar
Degas seventeen. Alfred Sisley and Paul Cezanne were both twelve,
Claude Monet eleven, Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Armand
Guillaumin and Fre'deric Bazille ten years old.
"Savage young revolutionaries, " Zola was to call them.
10
