Origins of impressionism /

This volume could well fulfill the Impressionists' hope for a comprehensive, lively presentation of their work in the context of the life and times that formed it. An abundance of direct quotes--critics, the artists themselves, patrons, interested bystanders--provides nearly irrefutable certainty that illumines the vigorous dialogue, the productive clash of opinions and attitudes so characteristic of a new movement. The original French, almost always included, makes available a precision of nuance and an acute reality for the sequence of events. The textual and visual approach, by subject--figures, landscapes, still lifes, and their combinations--brings all dramatis personae into action together. Diverse attitudes, special skills, personality traits, and economic stresses are brought out that formal biographies easily overlook. The authors bring a rational truth and plausible, clear explanations to the enchanting complex that was and is Impressionism. The reproductions themselves--well chosen and of excellent quality---are the most irresistible virtue of the book and its most convincing tribute to the period. Some are of known favorites; others, of paintings rescued from comparative obscurity. The extensive catalog is a researcher's dream, including for each major work a facsimile, artist's biography, description, provenance, and a bibliography with a direct route to the reproduction in the main text. Full index; very complete chronology. Important for all libraries; desirable for any college library. General; undergraduate through professional. C. Pascoe; College of Mount Saint Vincent

This remarkable exhibition catalog was published in conjunction with an important retrospective exhibition first held at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris and then at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The book opens predictably with the well-documented and critically researched Salon of 1859. However, the subsequent eight chapters discuss how various artists interpreted specific genre (e.g., history painting, the nude, still life) while employing impressionist technique. These sections are profusely illustrated and well documented with supplementary photographs. The footnotes are cleverly arranged as sideheads on each page, which makes this book a more useful tool for further research, but unfortunately they were not translated from the original French. The remaining 200 pages include a chronology of works in the catalog, a historical chronology from 1859 to 1870, and the exhibit catalog itself arranged alphabetically by artist. The thorough, scholarly apparatus provided for each exhibited work is exemplary. This book should be acquired by all types of libraries for knowledgeable readers in the field.-P. Steven Thomas, Illinois State Univ., Normal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.