Impressionism, British Art

Impressionist London

Name: Impressionist London
Author: Eric Shanes
ISBN: 9781558595675

by Eric Shanes

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Overview

Part art history, part social history, Impressionist London vivaciously chronicles the responses of French and other Impressionists to that irrepressibly dynamic city. Turn-of-the-century London was the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful city on earth. Its seething activity proved a heady source of inspiration to the French Impressionists, who painted more scenes of London - its grassy parks, mysterious fogs, and bustling riverscapes - than of any other city outside Paris. Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro fled from war-torn France to London in 1870 and produced some of their most appealing work in the city, during both that visit and later sojourns. Alfred Sisley created some of his finest and most lovely pictures just outside London, finding particular inspiration in the regattas that took place at Hampton Court. The young Vincent van Gogh spent probably the happiest months of his life there, discovering work by British painters and writers that would profoundly shape the course of his career. Other Impressionist-era artists who painted brilliant images of the city are the visitors Giuseppe de Nittis and Andre Derain; the expatriates James McNeill Whistler, James Tissot, and John Singer Sargent; and British painters including Spencer Gore, Walter Richard Sickert, and Philip Wilson Steer. Vividly written and elegantly designed, this book is filled with exquisite paintings and rare archival images as well as lively commentaries by artists and literary observers. It perfectly captures the flavor of Impressionist London and the lives of the painters it profoundly inspired.

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The author, a painter and art historian, chronicles the responses of French and other Impressionists to turn-of-the-century London, when it was the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful city on earth (French Impressionists painted more scenes of London than any other city outside Paris). Abundantly illustrated. 10.25x9.25" Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Part art history, part social history, this book captures in paintings and rare archival photos the flavor of 19th-century London, the dynamic city that proved a heady source of inspiration for such Impressionist artists as Monet, Pissaro, Alfred Sisley, van Gogh, Andre Derain, Whistler, Tissot, Sargent, and others. Art historian Eric Shanes presents an informative analysis of the changes occurring in London at the time, while full-color images depict grassy parks, bustling thoroughfares, riverscapes, and train stations--a rich visual panorama that attracted and influenced some of the most prestigious painters of the day. 10" x 9".