The Private Lives of the Impressionists

"Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. Their contemporaries branded them as lunatics but today this is a roll-call of great artists, whose paintings evoke a unique atmosphere of harmony." "In a vivid and moving narrative, Sue Roe shows how the early leaders of the group met in the studios of Paris and lived and worked closely together for over twenty years. Painting outdoors, meeting in cafes, they supported each other and shared emotional and financial difficulties. Defying the hide-bound rules of the Salon des Beaux Arts, they staged joint exhibitions and rebelled against artistic prejudice, moral tyranny and social hierarchy. Often rejected by their horrified parents, they led volatile and precarious lives: the men among them married servants, models, flower-sellers and, although their paintings now sell for millions, for years they were barely able to support their families."--Jacket