Origins of Impressionism [Hardcover]

Gary Tinterow (Author), Henri Loyrette (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

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
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; 1St Edition edition (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810964856
• ISBN-13: 978-0810964853
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #763,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Impressionism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An art book where the essays are as good as the pictures., July 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Origins of Impressionism (Hardcover)

Many exhibition catalogues, particularly for Impressionist exhibitions, just present a host of pretty pictures between attractive covers, and not much more. "Origins of Impressionism" is a wonderful exception to this rule. The essays by Henri Loyrette and Gary Tinterow sucessfully reconstruct the hidebound Paris art world of the mid-nineteenth century to help the reader understand just why "Impressionism" came to be. The greatest virtue of the book (and the exhibition which it accompanied) is that the familiar figures - Monet, Manet, Renoir, Bazille, Corot, and Courbet - are treated not as isolated visionaries, but as intelligent men grappling with a profound transformation in their world. The impressionist movement - so influential and so expensive - is portrayed as an advance in human consciousness brought about by a group of dedicated individuals whose goals did not necessarily include making vast sums of money. These people had an art that t! hey believed in - is this why we still flock to see the pictures they made? An essential addition to any art library.