Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism
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A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a Boston Globe “20 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall” and a Next Big Idea Club “Must-Read Book for September 2024”
The Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic’s gripping account of the “Terrible Year” in Paris and its monumental impact on the rise of Impressionism.
From the summer of 1870 to the spring of 1871, famously dubbed the “Terrible Year” by Victor Hugo, Paris and its people were besieged, starved, and forced into surrender by Germans―then imperiled again as radical republicans established a breakaway Commune, ultimately crushed by the French Army after bloody street battles and the burning of central Paris. As renowned art critic Sebastian Smee shows, it was against the backdrop of these tumultuous times that the Impressionist movement was born―in response to violence, civil war, and political intrigue.
In stirring and exceptionally vivid prose, Smee tells the story of those dramatic days through the eyes of great figures of Impressionism. Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas were trapped in Paris during the siege and deeply enmeshed in its politics. Others, including Pierre-August Renoir and Frédéric Bazille, joined regiments outside of the capital, while Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro fled the country just in time. In the aftermath, these artists developed a newfound sense of the fragility of life. That feeling for transience―reflected in Impressionism’s emphasis on fugitive light, shifting seasons, glimpsed street scenes, and the impermanence of all things―became the movement’s great contribution to the history of art.
At the heart of it all is a love story; that of Manet, by all accounts the father of Impressionism, and Morisot, the only woman to play a central role in the movement from the start. Smee poignantly depicts their complex relationship, their tangled effect on each other, and their great legacy, while bringing overdue attention to the woman at the heart of Impressionism.
Incisive and absorbing, Paris in Ruins captures the shifting passions and politics of the art world, revealing how the pressures of the siege and the chaos of the Commune had a profound impact on modern art, and how artistic genius can emerge from darkness and catastrophe.
8 page insert, 20 color images
From the Publisher
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company (September 10, 2024)
Language : English
Hardcover : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1324006951
ISBN-13 : 978-1324006954
Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
Dimensions : 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
6 reviews for Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism
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Original price was: $35.00.$28.13Current price is: $28.13.
Floyd B Crosby –
Fascinating!!
It grew my knowledge and understanding of!
S. Henley –
Art and History collide
This is really a story of how art made history and how history influenced art!
Christian Schlect –
City of Light in Dark Days
As the author says in his note on sources, this book is: “…an attempt to knit together art history, biography, and military and social history…”Such an ambitious goal, one that seeks within its 337 pages to cover one of the most complex and bloody times in the history of France while also explaining a key advance in Western art, is bound to be incomplete and sometimes superficial.Here, the author chooses the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot to be the anchor of his tale of war, politics, and the advancement of art. At times Mr. Smee’s writing goes a tad overboard, such as on p. 281 where he gives the reader this: “Cornelie probably rolled her eyes at such mischief. But she knew, too, that Edouard and Berthe were connected by tendrils of affection that had mysteriously thickened.”
Tom B –
Wonderful book that’s about art, people and an incredibly interesting time in French history
Not enough reviews yet for this book so I thought I would contribute one. This might be the most fun I’ve ever had with work of art history. Many of us have gotten exposed to Smee through his brilliant Washington Post essays which begin with a single painting and pan out to the artist, the artist’s life and what was going on in the artist’s world.This is a very ambitious work that explains the roots of impressionism, the conflict between the French academy painters and new artistic ideas coming in many cases from the provinces, and in the background the incredibly tumultous times for France including the 1848 revolutions, the back-and-forth between empire and republic, and the Paris commune.Smee’s writing is lively and fun, and the story is packed with human experience told through the eyes of the artists and their families — especially Manet and Berthe Morisot.I get so tired of impressionist hype — done by museums to sell tickets — the narrative that impressionists were some kind of God-given genius revolutionaries, when the truth is that impressionists’ ideas and techniques came out of early and mid-19th century rebels such as Corot and Courbet and then especially Manet.The book makes clear that there wasn’t such a bright line between impressionists and establishment academy painters — Morisot, for instance, regularly got her work into the Salon but volunteered for the impressionists’ rebel exhibition because she wanted to support them. Manet loved to create outrage, but the Salon accepted his works and no doubt Salon visitors loved to gossip about them and Manet loved the attention.Anyway, here’s hoping that Smee keeps writing these. I’d love to see him write about the early Renaissance to the time of Boticelli in Florence — it’s a similar time of political upheaval and a cluster of genius in one small corner of the world. Or a look at late 18th/early 19th century French painting — David, Ingres to Chassériau.
JC –
Not just scholarly and insightful but intensely immersive
Have you ever considered how much art owes to the chaos of history? Sebastian Smee’s ‘Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism’ might change how you look at a painting forever.This captivating book takes readers on a vivid journey through one of the most tumultuous periods in Parisian history, known as the ‘Terrible Year.’ From the German siege of Paris to the radical Commune uprising, Smee masterfully captures these dramatic events through the eyes of iconic Impressionists like Ãdouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas.Smee compellingly portrays these artists not just as painters but as individuals deeply impacted by the shifting tides of history. He convincingly argues that Impressionist works are more than just ‘pretty pictures’âthey are profound reflections on the fleeting nature of life in a world perpetually on the brink of collapse.The author’s writing is not just scholarly and insightful but intensely immersive. Listening to the audiobook, narrated superbly by Julian Elfer, I found myself transported into the scenes of the paintings Smee describes. His prose doesn’t just narrate history; it paints it, allowing readers to feel the textures, smell the air, and hear the distant sounds of a city under siege.More than just a study of art history, ‘Paris in Ruins’ is a commentary on how art and politics intertwine. Smee makes a compelling case for how the ‘Terrible Year’ tumult reverberated through France’s cultural and social fabric, leaving an indelible mark on the art world.While one might expect to be occasionally overwhelmed by the wealth of historical detail, this is not the case. The book excels in both its narrative and analysis.’Paris in Ruins’ is an intelligent and absorbing read that challenges our understanding of Impressionism and its roots. Whether you are an art enthusiast, a history buff, or simply a lover of well-crafted narrative nonfiction, this book will leave you seeing the Impressionistsâand perhaps the world itselfâin a new light. I will add a hardcover of this book to my library, where it will occupy a prominent place. For those who enjoy audiobooks, the narration by Julian Elfer adds another layer of enjoyment to this already rich experience.
Big Canvas Reads –
A permanent spot in my collection
I really want to talk to someone about this novel! Itâs my niche that I love and adore and study as much as I can. This novelâs audio version was immersive and informative. I had to buy the print version also because I needed to go back and make notations and add it to my French Art collection as I wish I could have seen any of these artists in their element. Every Art or history buff these this in their collection.