Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) was a woman of extraordinary talent who carved for herself a career within the art world of nineteenth-century Paris. She was one of only a handful of women who exhibited with both the Paris Salon and the influential and innovative Impressionists. Her work, considered highly representative of the Impressionist movement, depicts the world of the bourgeoise: their clothes, their life-style, their surroundings and their relationships. Through her unusual talent, the everyday life of the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie becomes tangible. In this beautiful book, around one hundred paintings from museums and private collections around the world are reproduced full-page and in colour, accompanied by original commentaries, which follow the artist's career from her training with Corot to her final work. The book examines her subtle, refined artistry, focused on the theme of women and children, and her use of pastel colours that recalls Watteau, Boucher and Fragonard. Her life and personality are discussed in detail, and the originality of her art - through its themes and technique - is highlighted, revealing its influence and its links with that of such illustrious contemporaries as Monet and Renoir. The exhibition that this book accompanies is the first retrospective of Morisot's work to be held in Paris for nearly half a century.