The Impressionist And The City

In the final decade of his life, Camille Pissarro abandoned his experimentation with neo-Impressionist technique and developed new forms of pictorial expression that drew more on the Impressionism of his earlier career. During this period - from 1893 to 1903 - Pissarro besides continuing to explore the landscape genre that had been his main subject matter, also began to grapple with urban scenes, and his paintings of Paris, Rouen, and the busy ports of Dieppe and Le Havre became an important component of his artistic output. At this time, Pissarro, like Monet, started to work on canvases in series, often painting six or seven canvases simultaneously and discarding one temporarily when the light, the traffic, the weather, or his mood altered. He started all of them at the scene, in the manner perfected by the Impressionists, and worked with extraordinary speed and deftness. By 1899, he lived part-time in Paris and, from his combined studio and living space, painted a series that included over forty views of the same motif. Richard Bretell and Joachim Pissarro begin this book on Pissarro's cityscapes by setting the paintings in their broad, art-historical context, tracing the tradition of the image of the city both within and prior to Impressionism and looking also at contemporary treatments of the urban scene by Vuillard, Bonnard, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The authors examine the history of the representation of the city in the literature, poetry, and philosophical writings of the nineteenth century and discuss Pissarro's knowledge of these alternative theories of the city. Using Pissarro's extensive correspondence from this period of his life, they describe the artist's attitudes toward his final works. The book also includes a catalogue of Pissarro's urban series, each one introduced by an overview covering the history of the cityscape pictured and the production, exhibition history, and early critical reception of the series. Full data on each painting follows.

"Examines the problematic serial nature of ... [Pissarro's] urban works"--Foreword.

This richly illustrated volume explores diverse aspects of life in nineteenth-century Paris, from the dim alleys of 'Old Paris' to the grand boulevards of the Second Empire. Paris earned the enduring nickname 'la ville lumiere' during the second half of the nineteenth century, when gas lamps gradually began to light up the city's dark medieval streets. Authors, composers, and especially visual artists thrived in this dazzling milieu. Approximately one hundred prints, drawings, photographs, and paintings offer an unforgettable tour of the cultural capital of the nineteenth century - the city in which Impressionism was born. Readers are transported to Paris via views of the city, from panoramas to picturesque details, by Pierre Bonnard, Charles Marville, Jean-Francois Raffaelli, and Edouard Vuillard. Works by Honore Daumier and Edouard Manet convey key historical events and underscore the newfound power of the press. Prints and drawings by Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, and Camille Pissarro provide an expanded view of the Impressionist movement beyond the medium of painting, while Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and James Tissot contribute colourful images of the theatre, the circus, and other forms of popular entertainment. The book concludes with a selection of vibrant turn-of-the-century posters by Jules Cheret, Alphonse Mucha, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more.

IMPRESSIONISM. This text explores the importance of the city of Rouen to the Impressionist painters of the late 19th century. It includes work by Monet, Pissarro and Gauguin and looks at why the city was deemed 'as beautiful as Venice'.

KEYNOTE: This definitive portrait of Camille Pissarro by one of the world's foremost authorities on Impressionism and French painting reveals the deep connection between Pissarro's humanitarian concerns and his creative output. Throughout his career, the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro produced a vast oeuvre of paintings, drawings, and prints inspired by his fascination with and commitment to politics. Many of these works reflect the tensions between his anarchist ideals and the realities of life in a capitalist society; however, most examinations of Pissarro have approached his art and politics as separate spheres. Published to accompany a major exhibition, this survey by a renowned expert on Impressionist painting offers a selection of canvases and works on paper that embody Pissarro's pictorial humanism at the highest level. Exhaustive archival study, interviews with surviving family members, and research drawn from thousands of newly discovered letters inform this rich and authoritative book. Including individual portraits of each of the family members Pissarro so often inserted into his paintings, it also examines his relationships with fellow artists, writers, neighbors, merchants, and domestic servants. The result is a refreshing and landmark reconsideration of the artist's magnificent body of work. AUTHOR: Richard R. Brettell has taught at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Yale University, and Harvard University, and is presently Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair of Art and Aesthetic Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is the author of numerous books on painting and Impressionism. ILLUSTRATIONS 275 colour illustrations

A beautiful new assessment of the work of a revolutionary and experimental Impressionist