Birth of Impressionism Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay

This exhibition catalogue features early Impressionist paintings and accompanies the first of two shows visiting San Francisco (and other cities worldwide) while the Musee D'Orsay undergoes renovation. The catalogue's essays reexamine the emergence of Impressionism within the political, social, and intellectual turmoil of 19th-century France. Although most scholarship on Impressionism emphasizes its break from the past, these essays suggest that these avant-garde masters were influenced by tradition more than previously thought. Many were academically trained and greatly admired both their teachers and the salon, which was the official venue for exhibiting. More importantly, the essays reveal Impressionism to be not just one style but a diverse movement of independent artists who were unified in their quest to capture glimpses of modern life. Even the new architecture of Paris challenged the classical facades of the past, preferring steel over stucco. Many libraries already own Paintings in the Musee D'Orsay, edited by Serge Lemoine (2004), a larger work that includes a majority of the catalogue's images; nevertheless, this catalogue is very inexpensive and worth purchasing for the essays alone. It includes 156 color images (109 from the exhibition). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty/researchers. R. M. Cooke Florida Gulf Coast University