Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Berthe Morisot and Impressionism


From time to time on this blog I like to tell you about a woman artist who has been finally recognized as historically important. Such an artist is Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). She was not only a beautiful French woman, but also a first-class Impressionist painter. (Manet's painting of her on left.)

Morisot was first juried into the very prestigious Salon de Paris when she was only 23 years of age. She would continue to be accepted in the Salon de Paris for the subsequent six years. This recognition of a woman demonstrates what an exceptional artist Morisot was.

At some point, her interest and experiments in the avant garde world of Impressionism led her into the same artists' circle as Degas, Monet, Manet, Pissarro, and Renoir. (She would exhibit at Salon des Refuses with these artists.)

Berthe Morisot and American artist Mary Cassatt are considered to be the two most important women artist of the 19th century. Yet, it is only recently that Berthe Morisot became a recognized name in Impressionism. Why do you think that is?

(Below are "Lady at her Toilette" and "A Village." Click for enlargement)

5 comments:

  1. Hey thanks. I really like her work. Sue

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sh did beautiful work! Dee

    ReplyDelete
  3. How exciting to know about a female artist that was accepted with the men in those days of such discrimantion. Thanks for introducing me to Berthe Morisot. I love what I see of her work.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hadn't heard of her. Thanks for telling me about her. Connie

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never heard of her. It's amazing that her name is not commonly known. Thanks for the interesting information. Clare

    ReplyDelete