Impressionism: Reflections and Perceptions [Hardcover]

Meyer Schapiro (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In an interview conducted late in the great art historian's life, Meyer Schapiro was asked if, looking back, he had any regrets. "The failure of socialism" was his startling reply. Every chapter of his extensive analysis of the most beloved movement in Western art breathes Schapiro's unique perspective. Comparing a Monet picnic with one painted by Watteau, he casually notes the "air of make-believe and the erotic intimations" of the latter, and the reproduction of the Watteau begins to simmer. Although Schapiro's style, often called "accessible," now seems elegantly old-fashioned, it's still a joy--a privilege--to read his words.

From Kirkus Reviews

The charisma that charged Schapiro's (Words, Scripts, and Pictures, 1996, etc.) legendary lectures on art history unfortunately doesn't translate to these expanded but cardboard- textured essays about Impressionism. A scholar's scholar, Schapiro (190496) applied himself to all possible angles and gradations of the subject of Impressionism, including different elements of subject matter (the city, nature, portraiture), different disciplines (science, history, literature), as well as the overall historical matrix that spawned the new artistic vision. ``Impression'' had already been a buzzword in the French press and culture in the 19th century; Impressionniste was coined by a writer who extrapolated the adjective from Impression Sunrise, one of Monet's paintings. Although science was still at odds with Impressionism's ideas about perception, which favored sensations over objects, the moment had arrived for subjectivity to saturate representation, supplanting the ``then-current official taste for history, myth, and imagined worlds.'' A number of painters shared the ideas and formal aspirations of Impressionism, but Schapiro elevates Monet above the rest for his innovation, impressionability, and versatility, and devotes a lengthy chapter to him. While Schapiro is thorough (the book can't be blamed for overlooking anything), he's rarely exciting--only a little verve might have served to better illuminate what was, after all, a pivotal moment in art history and the foundation of Modernism. Tentative in tone and slow in transition, these essays are, sadly, pale remnants of a great mind and an illustrious scholar. (100 color plates, 38 black and white illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 359 pages
• Publisher: George Braziller; 1 edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807614203
• ISBN-13: 978-0807614204
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)