MANET AND THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS ALI'HONSE I.EOROS KUOUARD MANKT, 1863 MANET AND THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS PISSARRO CLAUDE MONET SISLEY RENOIR BERTHE MORISOT CEZANNE GUILLAUMIN BY THfiODORE DURET TRANSLATED BY J. E. CRAWFORD FLITCH, M.A. ILLUSTRATED WITH FOUR ETCHINGS FOUR WOOD ENGRAVINGS, AND THIRTY-TWO REPRODUCTIONS IN HALF-TONE LONDON GRANT RICHARDS PHILADELPHIA : J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY ND INTRODUCTION PAINTING in France in the nineteenth century followed a course intellectual life of the it parallel with that of the country ; adapted in modes of it took itself to the various changes thought ; upon itself a succession of forms corresponding to those which were evolved in literature. At the beginning of the century, under the Empire, painting was classical. It was primarily engaged in rendering scenes borrowed from the antique world of Greece and Rome, and sub- jects derived from fable and mythology. Historical painting formed the essence of high art. It was based upon the nude, treated according to the classical model. Two masters David and Ingres were the representatives of this form of French art, and gave it its loftiest expression. After them, classical art was continued in an enfeebled condition by painters of only secondary importance. The new spirit of romanticism, however, which had arisen in literature, also made its appearance in painting. Delacroix was the master in whom it found its most complete expression. The tones of classical art, sober, restrained, and often cold, gave place in his work to warm and brilliant coloration. For the nicely balanced scenes of classical antiquity, he substituted compositions tumul- tuous with movement. Romanticism developed freedom of action and expressiveness of pose to their utmost limits. Painting was then conquered by realism, which had also in- vaded literature. Courbet was its great initiator. He painted the life that he saw round about him in a direct, robust manner. He also painted landscape with a truthfulness that was informed by a powerful emotion. At the same time, Rousseau and Corot had also brought landscape painting into close touch with nature. vi INTRODUCTION They had re-discovered its soul and its charm. Finally, crowning the as it were the work of their predecessors, came Manet and Impressionists. a and Manet was the painter of real life. He waged long to the ultimately victorious warfare with the men who clung belated and exhausted classical tradition. Together with a new and individual vision, he introduced into painting the bright tones and the luminous brilliance, which were adopted by the Impres- sionists, who were originally formed by him. These qualities they afterwards extended and developed, particularly in applying them to the painting of landscape in the open air. It is the history of Manet and the Impressionists which we propose to deal with in this book. CONTENTS PART I EDOUARD MANET CHAP' PAGE I. EARLY YEARS 3 II. IN COUTURE'S STUDIO 6 III. EARLY WORKS . IV. LE DEJEUNER SUR L'HERBE 18 V. THE OLYMPIA . 23 VI. THE PRIVATE EXHIBITION OF 1867 33 VII. FROM 1868 TO 1871 45 VIII. LE BON BOCK 6l IX. THE OPEN AIR ?I X. ' ENGRAVINGS AND . DRAWINGS . .88 XI. LAST YEARS 92 PART II THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS * . XII. THE IMPRESSIONIST GROUP IO5 XIII. PISSARRO I26 vii viii CONTENTS CHAP. "'AGE XIV. CLAUDE MONET 137 XV. SISLEY IS' XVI. RENOIR 159 XVII. BERTHE MORISOT 170 XVIII. CEZANNE i?7 XIX. GUILLAUMIN 189 XX. IN 1909 193 APPENDICES APPENDIX I 209 APPENDIX II 278 APPENDIX III , 280 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ETCHINGS FACE PORTRAIT OF BERTHE MORISOT (MANET) 90 JEUNE FILLE ETENDUE (BERTHE MORISOT) 106 BAIGNEUSE (RENOIR) 114 JEUNES FILLES (RENOIR) 198 (The above are printedfrom the original plates.) WOOD ENGRAVINGS LOLA DE VALENCE 74 Engraved by JACQUES BBLTRAND after the lithograph by MANET. LA PARISIENNE 98 Drawn on wood by MANET, engraved by PRUNAIRE. DANSEUSE 122 Drawn by DEGAS, engraved by JACQUES BELTRAND. LES PORTEUSES DE FAGOTS 134 Drawn by CAMILLE PisSARRO, engraved by LUCIEN PissARRO. HALF-TONE ENGRAVINGS EDOUARD . MANET, 1863 (ALPHONSE LEGROS) ..... Frontispiece LE GUITARERO (MANET) 14 LA MUSIQUE AUX TUILERIES (MANET) 16 Municipal Gallery, Dublin. "' b x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE LE DEJEUNER SUR L'HERBE (MANET) 20 Music des Arts Dicoratifs, Paris. OLYMPIA (MANET) 26 Music du Louvre. LA CHANTEUSE DES RUES (MANET) 36 Sears Boston. Collection of Mrs. , UNE JEUNE FEMME (MANET) 46 Metropolitan Museum, New York. EVA GONZALES (MANET) 5 Municipal Gallery, Dublin. UN ATELIER AUX BATIGNOLLES (FANTIN-LATOUR) 52 Music du Luxembourg. COMBAT DU KEARSAGE ET DE L'ALABAMA 62 Collection ofMr.J. J. Johnson, Philadelphia. LE BON BOCK (MANET) 64 Collection Arnhold, Berlin. EN BATEAU (MANET) 84 Collection of Mrs. H. 0. Havcmcycr, New York. ROUTE A LOUVECIENNES (PisSARRO) 128 SYDEN HAM ROAD (PISSARROX . , 130 BERGERE (PISSARRO) 132 - A . FALAISE ETRETAT (CLAUDE MONET) . .140 THE . HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON (CLAUDE MONET) . .144 WATERLOO BRIDGE (CLAUDE MONET) 148 LA SEINE A BOUGIVAL (SiSLEY) 152 THE SERPENTINE, LONDON (SiSLEV) 154 LES MOULINS DE MORET (SiSLEY) 156 BAIGNEUSE (RENOIR) l6o MADAME CHAR PENTIER ET . SES DEUX FILLES (RENOIR) . .164 Metropolitan Museum, New York. TETE DE JEUNE FILLE (RENOIR) . !66 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi FEMME AU BAL JEUNE (BERTHE MORISOT) ',"70 Music du Luxembourg. DANS UN PARC (BERTHE MORISOT) J74 SON PORTRAIT PAR LUI-MEME (CEZANNE) I?8 NATURE MORTE (CEZANNE) , 82 PAYSAGE (CEZANNE) , 86 PAYSAGE (GUILLAUMIN) FEMME LISANT DANS LA CAMPAGNE (GUILLAUMIN) .... 194 LES PARAPLUIES (RENOIR) . 204 Municipal Gallery, Dublin. PART I tiDOUARD MANET CHAPTER I EARLY YEARS I^DOUARD MANET was born in Paris on the 23rd of January 1832, at No. 5 Rue des Petits-Augustins (now Rue Bonaparte), and was on the baptized following 2nd of February at the Church of St. Germain-des-Pres. He was the eldest of three brothers. Their father was a magistrate, and a man of means, a member of that venerable and prosperous bourgeoisie which flourished and became the of powerful during reign Louis Philippe. Their mother, whose maiden name was Fournier, belonged to the same class.' Her father was in the diplomatic service, and had taken a part in the negotiations which resulted in the elevation of Marshal Bernadotte to the throne of Sweden. She had a brother in the who rose to the rank of army, colonel. The bourgeoisie, before the revolution of 1848, which robbed it of its power, and the advent of universal suffrage, which fused it more or less with the formed a distinct people, really class. After having fought and the old it was itself conquered nobility, in turn deprived of its of The families pride place. legal belonging to it, from whom the bench and the bar were recruited, preserved customs and traditions of their handed own, down from the ancient park- merits. breathed the They atmosphere of a particular kind of culture ; they were carefully trained in classics, and in the rhetoric which obtained at the Palais. In this circle, the men who rose to positions in the assumed a magistracy sort of ascendency, and were held in considerable esteem. At this time the magis- still formed a kind of stracy priesthood. It was jealous of the of its office it dignity ; commanded general respect in the world at The father large. of Edouard Manet, a judge of the Tribunal of the Seine, personified in himself all the characteristics of the 4 MANET AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS class to which he belonged, the bourgeoisie, and also of his own particular world within that class, the magistracy. Manet, therefore, may be said to have been born almost in the ancient tradition. The purple. He grew up in an atmosphere of characteristics, social and moral, which he had inherited remained as firmly planted in him throughout his life as his innate artistic instinct. Essentially he remained a man of the world, refined, courteous, polished, taking pleasure in society, fond of frequenting salons, where he was remarked and admired for his verve and his flashing wit. In a man brought up in this atmosphere, the impulse towards the life of an artist must have been very strong to have dominated all his other tendencies. It may be said of Manet that he was formed nature to be a his of vision and indeed by painter ; gift sensation made it inevitable that he should find his life's work in devoting himself to painting. Naturally his vocation was bound to show itself early, and was certain to result in a rupture with his family. His family had planned a career for him at the bar or the bench, or in the civil service. He would go through the classical curriculum, which, in the days of university mono- was in the State he take his poly, given colleges ; would degree of Bachelier es lettres, would then study law, and would pass the examination qualifying him for a call to the bar. But Manet showed no desire to follow the traditional path which was marked out for him. In his very early youth he was put under the charge of the Abbe" Poiloup, who then kept a school at Vaugirard. From there he was sent to continue his studies at the College Rollin. His maternal uncle, Colonel Fournier, used to spend his leisure time in drawing, and it was from him that Manet, while still quite young, acquired that taste for drawing and painting which circumstances developed into an overmaster- ing passion. It was at about the age of sixteen that he felt his vocation caUing him so strongly, that he announced his wish of becoming an artist. At that time, the decision of an eldest son to become a painter was enough to drive a family of old and respectable traditions to despair.