The French Impressionists (1860-1900) | Page 2

badly
shown and is composed of interesting works which, however, date back
to the early period, and are very inferior to the beautiful productions
which followed later. Renoir is best represented. The private galleries
in Paris, where the best Impressionist works are to be found, are those
of MM. Durand-Ruel, Rouart, de Bellis, de Camondo, and Manzi, to
which must be added the one sold by MM. Théodore Duret and Faure,
and the one of Mme. Ernest Rouart, daughter of Mme. Morisot, the
sister-in-law of Manet. The public galleries of M. Durand-Ruel's
show-rooms are the place where it is easiest to find numerous
Impressionist pictures.
In spite of the firm opposition of the official juries, a place of honour
was reserved at the Exposition of 1889 for Manet, and at that of 1900 a
fine collection of Impressionists occupied two rooms and caused a
considerable stir.
Amongst the critics who have most faithfully assisted this group of
artists, I must mention, besides the early friends previously referred to,
Castagnary, Burty, Edouard de Goncourt, Roger Marx, Geffroy, Arsène
Alexandre, Octave Mirbeau, L. de Fourcaud, Clemenceau, Mallarmé,
Huysmans, Jules Laforgue, and nearly all the critics of the Symbolist
reviews. A book on "Impressionist Art" by M. Georges Lecomte has

been published by the firm of Durand-Ruel as an edition-de-luxe. But
the bibliography of this art consists as yet almost exclusively of articles
in journals and reviews and of some isolated biographical pamphlets.
Manet is, amongst many, the one who has excited most criticism of all
kinds; the articles, caricatures and pamphlets relating to his work would
form a considerable collection. It should be added that, with the
exception of Manet two years before his death, and Renoir last year at
the age of sixty-eight, no Impressionist has been decorated by the
French government. In England such a distinction has even less
importance in itself than elsewhere. But if I insist upon it, it is only to
draw attention to the fact that, through the sheer force of their talent,
men like Degas, Monet and Pissarro have achieved great fame and
fortune, without gaining access to the Salons, without official
encouragement, decoration, subvention or purchases for the national
museums. This is a very significant instance and serves well to
complete the physiognomy of this group of independents.

I
THE PRECURSORS OF IMPRESSIONISM--THE BEGINNING OF
THIS MOVEMENT AND THE ORIGIN OF ITS NAME
It will be beyond the scope of this volume to give a complete history of
French Impressionism, and to include all the attractive details to which
it might lead, as regards the movement itself and the very curious
epoch during which its evolution has taken place. The proportions of
this book confine its aim to the clearest possible summing up for the
British reader of the ideas, the personalities and the works of a
considerable group of artists who, for various reasons, have remained
but little known and who have only too frequently been gravely
misjudged. These reasons are very obvious: first, the Impressionists
have been unable to make a show at the Salons, partly because the jury
refused them admission, partly because they held aloof of their own
free will. They have, with very rare exceptions, exhibited at special
minor galleries, where they become known to a very restricted public.
Ever attacked, and poor until the last few years, they enjoyed none of

the benefits of publicity and sham glory. It is only quite recently that
the admission of the incomplete and badly arranged Caillebotte
collection to the Luxembourg Gallery has enabled the public to form a
summary idea of Impressionism. To conclude the enumeration of the
obstacles, it must be added that there are hardly any photographs of
Impressionist works in the market. As it is, photography is but a poor
translation of these canvases devoted to the study of the play of light;
but even this very feeble means of distribution has been withheld from
them! Exhibited at some galleries, gathered principally by Durand-Ruel,
sold directly to art-lovers--foreigners mostly--these large series of
works have practically remained unknown to the French public. All the
public heard was the reproaches and sarcastic comments of the
opponents, and they never became aware that in the midst of modern
life the greatest, the richest movement was in progress, which the
French school had known since the days of Romanticism.
Impressionism has been made known to them principally by the
controversies and by the fruitful consequences of this movement for the
illustration and study of contemporary life.
[Illustration: MANET
REST]
I do not profess to give here a detailed and complete history of
Impressionism, for which several volumes like the present one would
be required. I shall only try to compile an ensemble of concise and very
precise notions and statements bearing upon this