Paris in Ruins: The Siege, the Commune and the Birth of Impressionism

By: Sebastian Smee

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Synopsis: Pulitzer-winner Sebastian Smee relives the remarkable birth of Impressionism from the ashes of war Paris, January 1871 – the final, agonising days of the Franco-Prussian War. As the German army cements its advantage, shells rattle through the Left Bank. It is a bitterly cold winter; there is no fuel, no medicine, no food. The city&’s poorer citizens have long turned to eating rats, cats and dogs. France has been brought to its knees. Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas are trapped in the besieged city. Renoir and Bazille have joined regiments outside of Paris, while Monet and Pissarro fled the country just in time. Out of the Siege and the Commune, these artists developed a newfound sense of the fragility of life. A feeling for transience – reflected in Impressionism&’s emphasis on fugitive light, shifting seasons, glimpsed street scenes, and the impermanence of all things – would change art history forever. This is the extraordinary account of the &‘Terrible Year&’ in Paris and its monumental impact on the rise of Impressionism.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:: 9780861542703
Publisher:: Oneworld Publications
Date of Addition:: 10/17/24
Copyrighted By:: Sebastian Smee
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Biographies and Memoirs, Education, Social Studies
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.