Paris Woman of Choice: Berthe Morisot
Berthe Morisot was an impressionist painter who lived from 1841-1895. As one of the only prominent female impressionist artists of her time, she had to stand out against her male counterparts. Edouard Manet was a mentor of hers. She later married his younger brother, Eugene. Like all impressionists, she used light and color in a revolutionary way for that time. I loved all the impressionist pieces we saw because of their blurred lines, use of nature and how light and color can change the look of a scene so drastically. But I especially liked Morisot’s pieces because they seemed to incorporate more women and scenes from nature.
Because women were not allowed in classes where they could draw from a model, she used the things around her to draw: Her daughter, her husband, and other women in domestic scenes. This gave her a reputation for more feminine pieces. She was known for having a freer form than other impressionists, with her brushstrokes going in all directions. She did not use outlines in her work, but instead used color to show various forms and volume. Her painting told stories of her and her own life experiences.
The Musee d’Orsay, which houses some of the most famous impressionist pieces, also has the world’s largest collection of Morisot’s works of art. While we were there I was drawn to one of these pieces titled L’Hortensia, or Hydrangea, also known as Les Deux Sœurs or The Two Sisters. This piece was painted in 1894, one year before Morisot’s death. It was an oil on canvas. I think I was drawn to this particular piece because I have a sister and I do feel there is a special relationship there. Morisot had two sisters as well, and this was probably a scene from her own memories. I feel the Musee d’Orsay does a good job of celebrating the work of Berthe Morisot, one of very few women who found success in her field during the impressionist period.
I love that you talked about Berthe Morisot, I did too! I like that you touched on how women weren't allowed in certain art classes and how Morisot overcame that obstacle by painting scenes from her life. Because she was a woman in art she faced a lot of ridicule and backlash, but I think that it is really cool how she persevered through that and continued to paint about what she wanted to. I think that these obstacles unfortunately can still be seen today. Women often find it harder to succeed and get into careers in the arts.
ReplyDeleteI love Berthe Morisot's work and it was so fun to learn more about her through your blog post this morning! Have you identified any challenges that still have women creatives today that she faced while creating these masterpieces? I often consider how mothers are discussed. What do you think about her work "Le Berceau?"
ReplyDeleteFirst Comment: I agree that the obstacles that stood in her way includes a lot of oppression about the classes she took. I believe this oppression helped to better express herself in the way that related to her and other woman around her. I believe there is still some hardships with woman being able to be as well known as men in the art world. However, I believe this is beginning to change and women are becoming more well known.
ReplyDeleteSecond Comment: I think learning about this woman deepens our understanding of a cultural capital because understanding that the style of art she is doing came from more a self taught aspect rather than a professor helps us to understand how important creativity is. This helps us to better understand the importance of creativity in the capital of Paris.
This is awesome Meg!! I think that it is so interesting that even though she wasn't allowed in proper art classes and had to use her own surroundings, this turned into something positive because it meant she depicted real things that are relatable. I think in art mediums we like to see things that are real and that we can relate to, and we as women relate to other women and like to see when we are represented (crazy right?).
ReplyDeleteI love your post Meg! You could use this for the first final question about the obstacles they faced. I liked how you talked about how she wasn't allowed to take the right art classes because she was a woman but she was determined anyways and just taught herself. That is really inspiring and she is definitely someone I would want to learn more about.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post! I loved learning about Berthe Morisot. You did a good job talking about the obstacles that she had to overcome including the classes she could not take. I never knew this so that was interesting to learn. Luckily this is not the case anymore. I think you could use this to talk about how just like her paintings spoke to you and inspired you it also speaks to lots of people that want to view her work which helps make Paris a cultural capital.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Meg! I loved Berthe Morisot's art as well. Paris is unique because it has a lot of her artwork, and almost no other cities do. Lots of cities have a van gogh painting or other famous people, but Berthe Morisot's work is lesser known and mostly stayed in France. Paris has a culture of celebrating women and artists even if there are not that many due to sexism at the time.
ReplyDelete