Product Description
Impressionist art appears to be effortless and spontaneous, but it actually involves an intricate approach to painting. In this book a curator, an conservator, and two scientists use modern methods of examination to investigate exactly how these paintings were done and what materials were used. 76 illustrations; 208 color plates. ... Read more

Product Description
The Great Book of French Impressionism celebrates therichness and exuberance of the Impressionists's world--a world oflight and color, of sunlit fields and shimmering waterscapes, ofbustling city views and intimate domestic scenes. The 400illustrations in this handsomely designed volume faithfully capturethe subtle nuances of light and keen perception that make FrenchImpressionist paintings unique. This edition features recentscholarship, more complete backmatter, and an expanded index.

In her thoughtful and cogent text, art historian Diane Kelder tracesthe development of Impressionism from its roots in landscape andrealist painting through its focus on modern urban life to itsultimate goal: to fix on canvas the fleeting moods and effects ofnature in an ever-changing world. The author weaves into her narrativefascinating anecdotes and excerpts form contemporary essays andletters, examines in detail the lives and works of all the majorImpressionists and Post-Impressionsits, including Manet, Monet,Renoir, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Seurat, and Cezanne, and shows howtheir work influenced others, ultimately giving rise to the new art ofthe twentieth century.

400 illustrations, 229 in full color
400 pages
11 x 11"
Trade Cloth ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

book on impressionism
too many black and white photos.would not buy this book again, as impressionism is about color.

Great Gift
I bought this book as a retirement gift for a friend.I am not an art expert by any means, but before I bought this book, I looked through numerous other art books and thought that the colors were muddy and unattactive in many of them and there were relativley few reproductions that I would want to look at.This book has a large selection of excellent color prints of wellknown impressionists' works.Much better quality then others I have looked at.A good buy for the money.

Very Mediocre Reproductions
I'm a native of Chicago, where the Art Institute has the largest collection of French Impressionism outside of Paris.So I've seen many of the originals of the works in this book.I'm also a photographer, so I have a critical eye, and I know how hard it is to get a good reproduction in a book of a work of art.Nonetheless, this book contains some of the worst prints I've seen.The colors are flat and lifeless and the shadows are clipped, which has blocked up the blacks and therefore ruined the contrast.

There's lot of in-depth information on the history of the art form.But visually it's a stinker.If you've never seen the magnificent work of the impressionists, this book will NOT ignite your interest in this genre, it's just too poorly printed.

This Book Is Beloved By Two Generations in My Family
I first saw this book at my grandmother's.She would put it on a console table which greeted people entering the living room from the foyer.She always had the book open to a different painting--you never knew which one it would be.I became so interested, and learned so much from her by asking about the paintings, that eventually, as an adult, I knew I had to have one too.So I bought one for myself and have used it to teach my 6yr. old about Impressionism.She doesn't really understand, but she likes the little girls (Renoir, Cassat) :)-Beryl ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The Great Book of Post-Impressionism
Wow!! What a great book and what a great Bargain I got on this hardcover. I
am a colorist when it comes to my paintings. So let me tell you there are
400 reproductions and 236 in COLOR! At 384 pages filled with surprises around
every page, this book is a star in my Artist Library.It begins with
beautiful reproductions at the end of Impressionism, with full page Monet,
Renoir, Degas, even a double page of "A Sunday Afternoon ...in the Park" by
Seurat.The book divides the artists into groups, such as Neo-Impressionism,Symbolism
Nabis, Fauvism( my favorite) Cubism( my favorite) and the School of Paris.
The text weaves a story-line from group to group , keeping cohesion and
giving us reasons for change and growth in this important time in Art
History.If you have interest in Matisse, Van Gogh, Gauguin,Picasso, Leger
and many of these early 20th century artists you will be captivated by
this book.It is lovely in it's presentation and true to a time-line.
A must for Art Historians or all artists.We learn from out past.
This book gives one a complete overview. artist joe monroe ... Read more

Product Description
Post-Impressionism to World War II is an exciting anthology of the best art history writings of the Post-Impressionist period. Several key essays by critics including Benjamin, Greenberg and Bürger knit together primary sources and classic, “canonical” criticism.

• Collects the most important writings on art history from Post-Impressionism to the mid-20th century, covering both canonical and contemporary perspectives
  
• Offers a chronicle of avant-garde practice during an especially creative, if volatile, period of history
  
• Features several key essays by critics including Benjamin, Greenberg and Bürger
  
• Includes recent critical interventions from a range of methodological perspectives – both well-known and less familiar
  
• Organizes material thematically, and features introductory essays to each of the five sections
  
• Provides a valuable, stimulating resource for students and teachers alike and offers new ways to think about and teach this important period in art history.

Customer Reviews (1)

A textbook, NO pictures!
This is a black-and-white textbook WITHOUT illustrations - a handbook for serious art students and teachers, which is a collection by many authors providing an artist's point of view by, or analytical materials on many artists - their art's programs and manifestos, spirit and subjectivity, relation to mass culture and modernity, politics and avant-garde, identity and appropriation.
CONTENTS:
Series Editor's Preface viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xii
Part I: Programs and Manifestos
Introduction 1
1 Post-Impressionism by Roger Fry 13
2 Why Are We Publishing a Journal? by Ver Sacrum editorial 18
3 Notes of a Painter by Henri Matisse 21
4 The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism by F. T Marinetti 28
5 Dada Manifesto by Hugo Ball 33
6 The Work Ahead of Us by Vladimir Tatlin 35
7 First Manifesto of Surrealism by André Breton 36
8 Introduction to "New Objectivity": German Painting since Expressionism by Gustav Hartlaub 50
Part II: Spirit and Subjectivity
Introduction 53
9 Gustave Moreau by Joris-Karl Huysmans 69
10 Symbolism in Painting: Paul Gauguin by G. -Albert Aurier 71
11 From Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style by Wilhelm Worringer 79
12 From On the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky 93
13 Mystery and Creation by Giorgio de Chirico 128
14 From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism: The New Painterly Realism by Kazimir Malevich 130
15 Neo-Plasticism: The General Principle of Plastic Equivalence by Piet Mondrian 146
Part III: Mass Culture and Modernity
Introduction 155
16 The Mass Ornament by Siegfried Kracauer 165
17 The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 174 Walter Benjamin
18 Avant-Garde and Kitsch by Clement Greenberg 188
19 Modernism in the Work of Art by Victor Burgin 201
20 The Hidden Dialectic: Avantgarde-Technology-Mass Culture by Andreas Huyssen 218
Part IV: Politics and the Avant-Garde
Introduction 231
21 The Politics of the Avant-Garde by Raymond Williams 240
22 From Theory of the Avant-Garde by Peter Burger 253
23 Jugglers' Fair Beneath the Gallows by Ernst Bloch 265
24 Towards a Free Revolutionary Art by André Breton, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky 270
25 The Birth of Socialist Realism from the Spirit of the Russian Avant-Garde by Boris Groys 274
Part V: Identity and Appropriation
Introduction 297
26 Going Native by Abigail Solomon-Godeau 304
27 Virility and Domination in Early Twentieth-Century Vanguard Painting by Carol Duncan 320
28 Men's Work? Masculinity and Modernism by Lisa Tickner 337
29 What the Papers Say: Politics and Ideology in Picasso's Collages of 1912 by David Cottington 349
30 Dada as "Buffoonery and Requiem at the Same Time" by Hanne Bergius 366
31 Surrealism: Fetishism's Job by Dawn Ades 381
Index 400 ... Read more

Product Description
Six plein-air painters in Oakland, California, joined together in 1917 to form an association that lasted nearly fifteen years. The Society of Six--Selden Connor Gile, Maurice Logan, William H. Clapp, August F. Gay, Bernard von Eichman, and Louis Siegriest--created a color-centered modernist idiom that shocked establishment tastes but remains the most advanced painting of its era in Northern California. Nancy Boas's well-informed and sumptuously illustrated chronicle recognizes the importance of these six painters in the history of American Post-Impressionism.
The Six found themselves in the position of an avant garde not because they set out to reject conventionality, but because they aspired to create their own indigenous modernism. While the artists were considered outsiders in their time, their work is now recognized as part of the vital and enduring lineage of American art. Depression hardship ended the Six's ascendancy, but their painterliness, use of color, and deep alliance with the land and the light became a beacon for postwar Northern California modern painters such as Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud. Combining biography and critical analysis, Nancy Boas offers a fitting tribute to the lives and exhilarating painting of the Society of Six.Amazon.com Review
When these six artists first banded together in 1917, the SanFrancisco art establishment found their work raw andundeveloped. According to Nancy Boas, however, these paintersrepresent the first fully evolved reflection of modern art on the WestCoast. Her scholarly and engaging study is tantamount to a discoveryof a previously unknown group of painters, and it is unusual in thatit recounts the birth of modern art in a nonurban setting. Sheelegantly and convincingly balances biography with analysis,intertwining six personal stories into a much larger story, which isreally about the birth of modernism, an integral segment of America'sartistic heritage. These artists' works are expressive, energetic, andablaze with vivid color, reminiscent of a quality of rarefied lightfound in Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series or Vincent van Gogh'sArles paintings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A joyous, exciting and informative book ...
Ms. Boas has put together an exceptional book on the Society of Six Painters. It is generously illustrated with carefully chosen examples, most in full color. Close ups, with full bleeds, lead each chapter and will take your breath away. In addition, the book contains many black and white images of the artists working and hanging out.

I'd say roughly half of the book is on Selden Gile and why not? He was likely the most prolific and arguably the best of the group. Ms. Boas describes how the group got together and how they were influenced by European artists, a few California painters as well as Bellows and others. One gets some idea of the personality (even drinking habits!) of each of"the six" as well as their camaraderie, working methods, palettes and materials. On page 97, there is a reprint of the group's manifesto (primarily Clapp's handiwork). It may be the best description of "what makes a painting good" that I have ever come across. In addition, the book is littered with quotes and excerpts from letters. One thing I particularly enjoyed were the many quotes by Diebenkorn and Thiebaud describing the Society's work. I highly recommend this book.

Six unique artists who deserve more attention
Nancy Boas has done the American art scene a great service by producing a beautifully illustrated and printed book about six rugged individualists who did much to build a California school of painting in the early 20th Century.While they are often referred to as impressionists, their paintings are generally far more adventuresome, ambitious and challenging to the viewer than the relatively tame and accessible impressionist school.Whether they had any direct influence from the Fauvists or the Blaureider colorists, they have more in common with those post-impressionist Europeans. Ultimately, it doesn't matter much how they arrived at their approach to color and painting, it was the California landscape and climate that determined their subjects and color they used to interpret them.
Boas' handsome book does particular justice to the work of Selden Gile, who was the most aggressive and and insistent in his use of primary colors.
This is a terrific and important addition to any artbook collection.

Wow! Early California Art!
Hazou Gallery, Elie (art dealer) San Diego, CA
This has been a great reference book for me. I own three artists in this remarkable group, The Society of Six. In addition to all the information in this valuable book, the price was great.

Excellent Book! As a collector of Society of Sixpaintings.
I give this book 10 stars! Nancy Boas did a superb job cataloguing the history of this unique & historical California art movement. As one of America's foremost buyers of the Society of Six paintings, I can say this is a "must buy" book. www.LawrenceBeebe.com

Move over Impressionists
While many books and much attention has been given to theImpressionists, little mention has been offered to the Society
of Six - California Colorists.The beautiful illustrations and enlightening text provide a case history for the needed aware-
ness of these talented and innovative artists.Nancy Boas has
obviously done a tremendous amount of research resulting in a
spectacular and much needed work on our California art history.
A perusal of this title will be richly rewarded. ... Read more

Product Description
This dazzling collection of one hundred works
by the masters of nineteenth-century French
painting tells the story of the Impressionist
movement that changed the way artists view
the world and the way the world views art. This book tells the story of the beloved Impressionist
movement, focusing on the tumultuous period of the 1860s and
1870s and the emergence of the New Painting out of the Paris
Salon. Lavish reproductions of masterpieces of French
painting from the monumental canvases of Bouguereau to the
landscapes and peasant scenes of Millet and Courbet set the
stage for a rich visual narrative that recounts the incubation
and evolution of the Impressionist movement. The range of
subject matter and techniques reflects the stylistic diversity of
the artists who were part of this revolution. Drawn from the
incomparable holdings of Paris s Musée d Orsay, the stunning
publication includes paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir,
Pissarro, Cézanne, Morisot, and Degas, among others. The
paintings have been selected and thematically grouped to
prompt discussion of Impressionism s many facets, including
France s turbulent social and political climate at the time, the
state-run Salon system and the artistic rivalries it fostered, and
aspects of daily life during the Belle Epoque. This companion
volume to a major exhibition offers a quintessential collection
of Impressionist jewels that will delight all lovers of art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great exhibit, good book
I never cared much for fuzzy Monets and Renoirs, but this book and exhibit have given me a much greater appreciation and understanding for what they and the other Impressionists accomplished.And I fell in love with some of the works.I ordered this book from Amazon before going to the exhibit, and reading through it ahead of time made the exhibit much more rewarding. Now I'm reading through all the text, which is well written and full of interesting insights. The quality of the reproductions is mostly good, but not outstanding. (The quality of the expensive reproductions in the museum gift shop didn't seem any better.) The Amazon price for the hardcover is equivalent to the museum price for the softcover. If you are serious about wanting to learn about these paintings, and the history of the times when they were painted, then it is a wonderful book to get.

Book Review
Great buy, particularly if you have seen the exhibit in San Francisco and checked out the prices in their bookstores, for a beautiful book, which you can enjoy even if you do not visit the exhibit.

Disappointing
I saw this exhibit the other day at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. It is a wonderful show and highly recommended if you have an opportunity to see it in person. After spending well over an hour viewing these amazing masterpieces I wandered into the inevitable gift shop at the end of the exhibit. I saw the book/catalogue and was looking forward to finding out a bit more information about a couple of the paintings I had seen. When I opened the book I was extremely disappointed in the quality of the reproductions. The colors were extremely muted and the pictures lost all of the vibrancy of the real paintings. Of course you cannot fairly compare a reproduction in a book to an original painting. Still, when I got home I looked at some of the reproductions in the art books I have in my collection and was even further convinced that the reproductions in this book are of inferior quality.
I gave this book 3 stars only because I have not read the text and assume that one would learn a good deal about this exhibition and about the development of the impressionist movement by reading it. Still, if you are thinking about buying this book as a coffee table book or as a delightful visual experience, I'm pretty sure that you will be, as I was, greatly disappointed. Too bad. It would be wonderful to have a high quality reminder of this amazing exhibition. Unfortunately, this book is not that. ... Read more

Product Description
Celebrations of city streets; tranquil vistas of the countryside and seashore; enchanting images of the leisured classes in domestic interiors or at fashionable Parisian cafes - the work of the Impressionists gives pleasure to art lovers everywhere. But while Impressionism today may appear "natural" and effortless, contemporaries were shocked by the loose handling of paint and the practice of painting out-of-doors. In defiance of the conservative official Salon, the Impressionists - led by Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas - sought to capture the immediacy of experience. This comprehensive study brings together the most recent research on Impressionism. James Rubin makes accessible its philosophical, political and social context, from Baudelaire's conception to the painter of modern life, to the influences of photography, the burgeoning art market, and contemporary notions of gender and race. As well as the acknowledged masters, our attention is drawn to lesser-known Impressionists such as Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassat and Gustave Caillebotte. Rubin also examines the work of Paul Cezanne and his relationship to the group.Finally, the book explores the legacy of Impressionism and its enduring appeal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great addition to a great series
James Rubin places Impressionism and the Impressionists at the heart of their times. He not only looks at Monet, Degas and Renoir, but also includes detailed studies of the movements lesser figures to give a clearpicture of the diversity of the Impressionist school ... Read more

Product Description
Examines ten works of impressionist and post-impressionist art, discussing how they were created and what they represent. Suggests related activities, including the making of original works of art in media similar to those used in the works studied. ... Read more

Product Description
On April 15th, 1874, in the Parisian studio of photographer Nadar, was the opening of the first group exhibition that was uninhibited by government interference and the dictates of an official selection committee. This date has gone down in the annals of art history because it marks the birth of the Impressionism. Impressionistic paintings now rank among the most popular works of art and are the pride of any museum or collection worldwide. However, in 1874 the public response to the exhibition, and to Impressionist painting, was not adoration but rather shock and even outrage. The Impressionists and the succeeding Neo-Impressionists were avant-gardist and revolutionary, paving the way for modern art. Present-day viewers, hardly realizing this revolutionary potential, can be content to enjoy the aesthetic of light and color.Artists featured in detail include: Frederic Bazille, Marie Braquemond, Gustave Caillebotte, Mary Cassat, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Armand Guillaumin, Max Liebermann, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Guiseppe de Nittis, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Medardo Rosso, Giovanni Segantini, John Singer Sargent, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Walter Richard Sickert, Alfred Sisley, Max Slevogt, Fritz von Uhde, and Federico Zandomeneghi. Each book in TASCHEN's "Basic Genre" series features: a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period; and a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a reference work, portrait of the artist, and/or citations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent book, letter too small
I read all the reviews of the book and I really appreciate the quality of the book in terms of writing and in terms of images, but all these reviews are about the previous version of the book.

But this new edition in the 25th anniversary is smaller than the other and the text size is too small that is very difficult to read the book.

May be the price and the weight of this book is better in some cases but you have to know that if you're looking for an easy reading may be the other edition could be better.

Recommend it
This book feature high quality photos and interesting text. It also covers impressionism outside of France.

Both synoptic and detailed
This is an excellent, excellent review of the movement.

The color plates are second to none, but its overall greatest strength is the writing, which puts Impressionism in historical context.The reader will come to understand why it continues to be such an important movement today.

A very good reading for serious readers
I received this book as my Birthday gift and ever since, I have found it to be indispensable, the reading is clear, and the author even included some interpretations of the drawings. If you like Anne Holander, Vision of Fabric, then you should consider getting this as well. Not only do I appreciate the text, I end up imitating the paintings illustrated in the book.
Get it!

Awesome!
This book is very good! A very nice print and wonderful pictures. Quality is a need in art books and then this is an important matter to buy some. The book go through many aspects of the impressionism movement and is easyto read, I'm not an art expert and find it good to understand. ... Read more

Product Description
Jane Goldman offers a revisionary, feminist reading of Woolf's work. Focusing on Woolf's engagement with the artistic theories of her time, Goldman analyzes Woolf's fascination with the Post-Impressionist exhibition of 1920 and the solar eclipse of 1927 by linking her response to a much wider literary and cultural context. Illustrated with color pictures, this book will appeal not only to scholars working on Woolf, but also to students of modernism, art history, and women's studies. ... Read more

Book Description
These handsome volumes of postcards feature the artworks of the great modern masters, reproduced in brilliant full color. The cards are detachable and can be used to send messages to friends or as informal decoration for the home or office. Easily stored, they can also serve as inexpensive guides to some of the masterpieces of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great deal!
This postcard book is a fantastic deal. There are so many great paintings/postcards to choose from. It's so nice to still get a card in the mail especially one of these! A wonderful stocking stuffer for the Van Gogh lover.

Beautiful selection
These post cards, featuring some familiar and some rather obscure works by Van Gogh, are lovely.It is a nice cross section of his more notable landscapes, including Starry Night, as well as some still life and self portraits.Very nice for the price. ... Read more

Product Description
When Monet falls and injures his leg, young Frederic Bazille entertains the sufferer by painting his portrait in bed; when Monet is penniless and his mistress pregnant, Bazille buys a painting out of charity. But Bazille dies in the Franco-Prussian War, while Monet lives on to become a great master and to enjoy a productive and prosperous old age lasting well into the twentieth century. This story, which stretches from the 1860s to the 1920s, is just one of a vast number of intriguing narratives that weave through this unique diary of the Impressionist movement. From the rise of Manet as the most controversial artist of the mid-nineteenth century to the record-breaking prices achieved at auction in the late twentieth century, the most important artistic events, exhibitions, and sales are chronicled, as are the artists' personal lives: their relationships, children, allegiances, political activities, passions, obsessions, hatreds, and quarrels. Carefully selected extracts from the artists' private letters and diaries, and from reviews and studies, allow the reader to hear the voices and opinions of the time. Contemporary historical events--political, economic, social, and cultural--are recorded in parallel with the artistic developments. A huge number of images of all kinds--paintings and drawings, photographs, posters, book jackets, letters, and even caricatures--reveal the splendor of the great masterpieces and the reality of the world in which they were created. The Chronicle of Impressionism is a complete record of the artists and their times, tracing the story of Impressionism as it unfolds. This is the one indispensable guide to the movement that, more than any other, has shaped the path of modern painting. Over 400 illustrations, 203 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

wonderful
This is a wonderful book full of not only intimate details of the artists but the time they lived in, including advances in technology. I have read it over and over.

First and last impressions
This survey of the history of Impressionism includes more than 400 illustrations of paintings, photographs, drawings, and posters made between the 1860s and the 1920s. The book provides discussions of art events, exhibitions, specific works, and sales records, as well as details of the artists' personal lives. Also included are a biographical index of over 100 entries, complete with photographs of the artists, their models, friends, dealers, critics, and collections; maps and descriptions of significant Impressionist locales; and a chronology of western art from 1863 to the present. A detailed listing of important Impressionist collections throughout the world is sure to interest tourists and serious museum visitors alike. All of the material is presented with great clarity in an interesting and intelligent manner. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book beloved examples of Post-
Impressionism from one of the world s premier
art museums provide a splendid overview of
innovations ushered in by the popular
movement. Representing a pivotal moment in the history of European art,
the Post-Impressionists created some of the most
recognizable and stylistically inventive paintings of the
modern era. Published to accompany a major exhibition, this
book presents over one hundred celebrated paintings from the
unparalleled collection of Paris s Musée d Orsay. Focusing on
the decades around 1900, this publication presents late
Impressionist landmarks by Monet and Renoir; early modern
masterpieces by Cézanne, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van
Gogh; and avant-garde canvases by the Nabis painters Denis,
Bonnard, and Vuillard. The volume also provides a unique look
at the Musée d Orsay s outstanding collection of Pointillism,
including works by artists such as Seurat and Signac. Together
these works offer a fresh assessment of seismic transitions in
the European art world at the turn of the twentieth century
that ushered in the birth of modern painting and produced
lasting treasures of its own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Exuberance of Freedom
The catalogue of the exhibit in San Francisco, as I write, serves as a reminder of that fine presentation of the brief but highly experimental period after the Impressionists/Independents had opened the doors of the art world. The quality of the colored reproductions in my copy (to contrast the other reviewer) is somewhat muted or of low contast, such that the psychodelic bold painting of pointillist Luce appears bland and soft and the confident yellow of Sérusier's The Talisman becomes soiled olive. Any book image pales to the effect of the original, of course, but those in my tome deflate the importance and excitement of the exhibit, for that and this book will introduce the reader to unfamiliar colleagues of renown artists who explored new territory, producing a variety of trial branches. For instance, I had not before heard of the Nabis group of mystical artists centered at a graphic approach with solids, again an influence of the recently imported Japanese woodcuts and prints. The included essays will assist in appreciating the works. Thus, allowing for possible inferior reproductions, the book is a worthwile reference and summary.

Some Respect for the Wings of Butterflies, Please!
This large, sturdy volume is the catalogue/souvenir of the touring exhibit of "Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée D'Orsay, currently on display at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. This exhibit is, in a sense, the sequel to a exhibit of Impressionist painting from the D'Orsay, which has already passed through SF. Both exhibits are relatively small, just a few tight rooms full of paintings. Together they might have been "more than enough" but seen in close sequence they are "just right" for people, like me, who are easily overloaded by vast exhibits.

This exhibit is hardly as focused on the greatest paintings by the three masters as its 'title' implies. Yes, there are indeed several undeniable masterpieces each by Cézanne, Gauguin, and van Gogh, along with several surprisingly masterful paintings by Paul Sérusier, Théo van Rysselberghe, Émile Bernard, and others, plus two stupendously potent and original large paintings by Henri Rousseau. The whole exhibit, however, is patently the concept of art historians, intended as pedagogy, with just a soupçon of condescension. Don't worry! The pedantry can be overlooked, along with the couple of inferior paintings chosen for 'historical' reasons. What do art historians and musicologists have in common? I'll let that question settle itself.

As a 'coffee table' art book, this catalogue has pluses and minuses. The color printing is quite accurate. The textures and brushwork are adequately reproduced, given the issues of scale. The paper is sturdy and the book seems likely to wear well. Some of the finest paintings, however, are annoyingly creased across two pages. But the book is not just a set of photographic reproductions; it also contains eight historical essays by the curators of the exhibit, Sylvie Patry and Stéphane Guegán, translated from French to slightly awkward English.Each essay is amply footnoted, amounting to a substantial resource for further historical research. This is where, for me personally, the whole exhibit and its catalogue tips toward the tearing of wings off butterflies. Painterly geniuses like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin should probably not be expected to hold sound philosophical or political notions. Often their 'notions' require more forgiveness than scholarly explication. It's deflating to discover that three (and more) of my favorite painters were muddy-headed dingbats about religion and society. I suppose I'm a post-modern Derrida disciple about paintings; the 'meaning' and impact of any painting is always and only what the viewer negotiates with the colors and lines. ... Read more

Product Description
Lavishly illustrated, meticulously researched, and gracefully written, this definitive study of California's distinctive style of impressionism surveys the movement's sources abroad, its most influential artists, and the critical responses to the style. 248 illustrations, 201 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

California Impresssionism
The book was in excellent condition (new) and was available for less than half the price of the book in the museum bookstores.It has good color reproductions and interesting companion text.

California Impressionism
Wonderful colors and plates. Inspirational to browse through or informative to read and digest. A good addition to any art library.

Simply Glorious
As discussed in the book, the California Impressionists were creationists, and painted the glories of nature as being from the hand of the Almighty. It might very well be that such a perspective is necessary to fully apreciate the spectacular scenery of their state. Accordingly, as Will South points out, the California Impressionists were more the artistic ancestors of the Hudson River School rather than their presumed French forbears.

The color reporductions in this book are quite good and the narrative is informative, though I must admit the first part of the book starts a bit slow with many names, dates and places. Later on the book more deeply delves into aesthetic considerations and picks up quite quickly. By the end of the book the movement loses its steam at the same time as the idyllic and pastoral California of their paintings increasingly vanishes under a flood of paradise seeking immigrants from the east and we are left with a sense of wistful regret at the loss. Yet this book preserves the art and times of late 19th, early 20th century California, and does so memorably well.

California Impressionism
As the inside cover reads and I completely agree, "Lavishly illustrated, painstakingly researched, and gracefully written, this handsome volume is the definitive study of California's distinctive style of Impressionism."Dr Will South provides a chronological survey of the California Impressionists starting in the later part of the 1800's up to the final days in the 1920's-30's.Dr. Gerdts analyzes the California Impressionist Movement with style.With biographies of approximately 75 artists and an extensive bibliography, this volume is not just a coffee table art book.It is an important research tool to conduct an extensive study of any of these artists.

A definite must for those who love Impressionism!
The paintings throughout the book are reproduced in radiant and superb color, helping one grasp the phenomenal beauty conveyed by the works.The pages are thicker and heavier than most of the art books on the markettoday.The paintings of the California masters are included as well assome works by lesser known artists. The text is fresh, easy and fun toread, and the chapters are well organized, exploring the origins andevolution of the Impressionistic movement in California.I predict thisvolume will become a classic.Definitely worth the money! ... Read more

Product Description
This lavishly illustrated book examines the profound influence of Japanese prints on the Impressionists and their American contemporaries.
Richly illustrated throughout, this elegant volume introduces two hundred years of Japanese prints and examines their evolution, innovative techniques, and radical impact on the European and American avant-garde of the nineteenth century. The book commences with a chronological survey of the Japanese print, including works from early masters such as Harunobu and Utamaro, classic prints by the renowned artists Hokusai and Hiroshige, and nineteenth century examples by Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The second half of the book focuses on Western artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Henri Riviere, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who drew on the Japanese aesthetic in their own diverse ways. The result is a beautiful book that offers a fascinating glimpse of how the great Japanese prints affected modern art - Impressionism and beyond. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

428 illustrations, only 46 in color
303 pp., 428 artwork's "Post-Impressionism: Cross-Currents in European Painting" by Royal Academy of Arts, London - ISBN: 0297777130 in assoc. with Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and ISBN: 0064304000 in assoc. with Harper & Row (not to be mistaken with only 248 pp. ISBN: 9990705968 by National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C. showing only 280 paintings) was published as a catalogue for the exhibition of the same name held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London in the period from 17 November 1979 to 16 March 1980. The catalogue is split up into five European ONLY sections (NO American paintings as in ISBN: 9990705968), and is illustrated throughout with colour and black and white reproductions of 428 artworks. 46 illustrations are full-/half-page glossy color plates. Each work has a detailed historical and descriptive information. The printing was excellent on a high quality paper still white, 8 1/2" x 11", hardcover.
CONTENTS:
LIST OF LENDERS 6
Foreword by Hugh Casson President of the Royal Academy 7
NOTES TO USERS 8
Introduction by Alan Bowness 9
FRANCE by John House and MaryAnne Stevens
The Legacy of Impressionism in France 13
Innovation and Consolidation in French Painting 19
Catalogue 26
GERMANY, NORWAY and SWITZERLAND by Norman Rosenthal and Gillian Perry
Idealism and Naturalism in Painting 150
Catalogue 154
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND by Anna Gruetzner
Two Reactions to French Painting in Britain 178
Catalogue 183
ITALY by Sandra Berresford
Divisionism: Its Origins, Its Aims and Its Relationship to French Post-Impressionist Painting 218
Catalogue 227
THE LOW COUNTRIES by MaryAnne Stevens with Joop Joostens
Belgian Art: Les XX and the Libre Esthétique 252
Painting in Holland 255
Catalogue 260
CHRONOLOGY 280
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 298
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 300
PHOTOGRAPHIC ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 301
INDEX OF ARTISTS 302
THE FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY 303 ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

JUST WONDERFUL
I am the producer of the film Monet's Palate and just loved this book - Aileen BordmanMonet's Palate - A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny ... Read more

Product Description
The best work of American artists influenced by EuropeanImpressionism comes together in these appealing pages. As a generationof painters studied abroad and absorbed new approaches to light,palette, and composition, their landscapes, cityscapes, figuralpaintings, and still lifes began to exude their own distinctdepartures from academic styles. Shown are works by James McNeillWhistler, Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, Maria Oakey Dewing, WilliamMerritt Chase, Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, Maurice Prendergast, andothers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An embarassment of riches
From the dust jacket to the final page, American Impressionism is worth its weight in gold, if only for the incredible number of color plates, intelligently presented. As a student of the American impressionists, I have spent hours at the Smithsonian, drinking in the richness of this wonderful section of our country's art history. The colors are extremely good in this Smithsonian publication, and no place else will you find as thorough a documentation of this era. It's so attractive a volume, it makes for a coffee table book of distinction, even if you are not well versed in this particular group of art works. ... Read more