AN APPRECIATION: Berthe MorisotBerthe Morisott can be appreciated for a number of reasons. She made history as one of the artists who participated in the landmark first Impressionist exhibition. She blazed a new path for women, becoming a successful artist at a time when women were all but confined to the home. She had an intriguing personal life, both romantic and mysterious. However, leaving all of the above aside, she should be appreciated for creating some excellent works of art.
Career She was born in 1841 in Bouges, France into an affluent middle class family. Her father was a senior government official and had formerly been an architect who trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Her mother was related to the painter Jean-Honore Fragonard. In 1852, the family moved to Paris. Although she traveled to Spain, England, Italy, Belgium, Holland and the Channel Islands, Berthe was to spend most of the rest of her life in Paris. When Berthe was 16, her mother asked each of her children to make a drawing as a birthday surprise for their father. This exercise awoke Berthe's interest in art and her mother arranged for Berthe and her sister Edma to receive art lessons from a number of artists including the painter Jean-Bapiste-Camille Corot, who introduced Berthe to plein air painting. At this time, it was considered proper and a necessary part of a well-brought-up young lady's education to receive art lessons. Inasmuch as both her father and mother had art connections, Berthe's interest in art was probably well-received by her parents. However, young ladies were barred from formal art education so she could not follow in her father's footsteps to the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Furthermore, women could not even make copies of the old master paintings in the Louvre unless they had a chaperon. Despite such limitations on her art education, in 1864, the committee that controlled which works would be shown at the official art exhibition in Paris, known as the Salon, accepted two of Morisot's landscapes. Over the next decade, one or more of her works were exhibited in each year's Salon. Since the Salon was the most prestigious exhibition in France, it was the goal of every artist to have pictures accepted by the Salon. Thus, Morisot had become an established artist - - an almost unheard of accomplishment for a young woman. Then, something happened that would change Morisot's life. In 1868, Morisot was introduced to Edouard Manet while she was at the Louvre copying a painting by Rubens. Manet was a legendary figure in Paris. His new style of painting had shocked not only the critics but the public as well. While he was considered a villain by the art establishment, he was a towering hero to the next generation of young artists. The meeting was a turning point for Morisot. She changed her style, not to an imitation of Manet's but to something that drew upon his ideas as well as her own. The two artists developed a lasting relationship in which they exchanged ideas. Thus, not only did Manet influence Morisot but Morisot influenced Manet. Around this time, she destroyed many of her earlier works. She also decided that she would never again submit works to the Salon. Rather, she would exhibit with a number of like-minded artists whose works had been rejected by the Salon. Accordingly, she agreed to participate in a small exhibition of independent artists being held in a photographer's studio in Paris. She was to go on to participate in seven of the eight Impressionist exhibitions. (She missed the 1878 exhibition due to the effects of pregnancy). As is well-known, the Impressionists were at first scorned by the critics. Morisot's work was not spared such attacks. Furthermore, she had to endure attacks based upon the fact that she was a woman artist. Such attacks struck home because, as reflected in her writings, she longed to be judged on a level playing field with her male colleagues. The other Impressionists appreciated her work. Several acquired examples. At the same time, she influenced their work and they influenced hers. In her later work, you can see the influence of Pierre Auguste Renoir in particular. While she never became famous during her lifetime, she sold more works than Renoir, Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley. Her career was cut short when she died at age 54. She was the first of the original Impressionists to pass away. Personal life There has been much speculation about Morisot's relationship with Edouard Manet. Manet did numerous portraits of Morisot. She was a beautiful woman and thus she was naturally an appealing subject for an artist. However, the pictures betray a much greater depth of feeling than that of an artist for a model. It is also more than the affection that an older person may feel for a protege or promising young colleague. And in her eyes, the paintings indicate that the feelings were reciprocated. But Edouard was married and could not marry. A woman of Morisot's class and background was expected to marry and it was already unusual for a woman of Morisot's age not to have married. Accordingly, in 1874, Morisot married Eugene Manet, Edouard's younger brother. It has been speculated that this was a marriage of convenience. However, the marriage was clearly very important to Eugene. He all but gave up his career as a painter in order to support her and champion her career. In 1877, a daughter Julie was born and she became Morisot's favorite subject. Morisot painted several pictures showing Eugene and Julie together in loving domestic scenes. Eugene died in 1892. Morisot followed three years later succumbing to pneumonia after nursing Julie through an illness. It should also be noted that Morisot had a keen intellect. Her circle of friends included the writers Emile Zola and Charles Baudelaire as well as the poet Stephane Mallarme. Analysis Morisot worked on a range of subjects including landscapes and portraits. However, her main interest was in depicting women. A number of the Impressionists including Renoir and Morisot's good friend Edgar Degas, painted women. However, such paintings are men's observations of women. Morisot depicted what it was like to be a woman of that era. Cultural restrictions essentially limited women to domestic activities and so many of Morisot's works depict domestic scenes such as women with children. Whereas a somewhat cliched sentimentality creeps into some of fellow Impressionist Mary Cassatt's depictions of such scenes. Morisot's works, while not lacking in emotion, are more authentic. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Morisot was a mother and thus knew the struggle as well as the joy. Morisot worked in a variety of media. The first one she mastered was watercolors, the properties of which lend themselves to creating Impressionistic light effects. She then moved on and mastered pastels. Oil painting came next, incorporating techniques she had learned using the other media. Towards the end of her career, she developed a renewed interest in drawing and would make preliminary sketches for paintings. She also tried engraving and sculpture but few examples have survived. Stylistically, Morisot suggests rather than details. Even in portraits, the features are somewhat vague, leaving it to the viewer to fill it in. Still, her pictures do not appear incomplete. She distills things to the essential, telling just enough to convey her message. See our profiles of these other Impressionists and members of their circle.
Frederic Bazille Eugene Boudin Marie Bracquemond Gustave Caillebotte Mary Cassatt Paul Cezanne Edgar Degas Henri Fantin-Latour Paul Gauguin Eva Gonzales Armand Guillaumin Edouard Manet Claude Monet (Part I The Early Years) Claude Monet (Part II High Impressionism) Claude Monet (Part III The Giverny Years) Camille Pissarro Pierre Auguste Renoir Alfred Sisley Suzanne Valadon Victor Vignon |
Above: "Julie Manet and Her Greyhound Laerte," is a portrait of her daughter who appears often in Morisot's work.
Below: "On the Balcony" a painting from the 1870s. 
Above: A watercolor by Morisot: "Woman on a Bench".
Above left: A photo of Morisot.
Above right: One of Edouard Manet's portraits of Morisot. 
Above: "Eugene Manet at the Isle of Wight." Her husband Eugene is one of the few men who appear repeatedly in Morisot's work.
Below: "Lady at her Toilette." 
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Artist appreciation - Berthe Morisot