The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago

by Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick; With the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw

• ISBN13: 9780300136784
• ISBN10: 0300136781
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-07-24
• Publisher: Art Institute of Chicago

Summary

The Art Institute of Chicago has one of the largest and finest holdings of late 19th-century French art in the world. This lavishly illustrated book features over ninety paintingsnearly the entire collectionengagingly discussed in terms of the context in which so much memorable art was produced. It offers a fascinating overview of the Impressionist movement and its legacy, drawing upon the latest art-historical findings. The volume explores works by artists who sought official sanction by the French Academy, from Manetnotorious for his bold and direct styleto Boudin and Jongkind, who are known for their light effects and deft brushwork. Paintings by Caillebotte, Degas, Monet, Pissarro, and Sisley offer insight on such topics as contemporary life, the changing quality of light, and painting outdoors. Another section examines the works of artists who were influenced by Impressionism and compelled to explore new avenues of expression, including those of Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Each image, handsomely reproduced, exemplifies the diversity of ideas and extraordinary wealth of talent at work in late 19th-century France. A fascinating illustrated chronology of the formation of this world-renowned collection is also included.

Author Biography

Douglas Druick is Searle Curator and Chair of Medieval through Modern European Painting and Sculpture and Prince Trust Curator and Chair of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 6
Acknowledgments	p. 8
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in Chicago	p. 10
Landscape and Figure Painting	p. 26
Tradition and Innovation	p. 28
Manet: Races and Bullfighting	p. 36
Sea and Sky	p. 40
High Impressionism	p. 44
Cradle of Impressionism	p. 46
Cities and Suburbs	p. 54
Renoir's Transformative Vision	p. 62
Still Life	p. 80
Degas: Classical Tradition and Modern Life	p. 86
Post-Impressionism	p. 96
Pissarro and Monet: New Directions	p. 98
Neo-Impressionism	p. 110
Van Gogh and Gauguin	p. 118
Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre	p. 128
Cezanne's Classicism	p. 134
Gauguin and the South Seas	p. 144
Late Monet: The Series Paintings	p. 152
Giverny	p. 154
Outside France	p. 164
Water Lilies	p. 172
Selected Bibliography	p. 178
Index of Artists	p. 182
Photography Credits	p. 184
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.