#78 - Berthe Morisot ~ Mme. Boursier and her Daughter ~ 1874
#78 - Biographical Sketch of Berthe Morisot
Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) was a painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who
became known as the Impressionists. Morisot was born in France into a successful bourgeois, middle
class, family. Both she and her sister, Edma Morisot, chose to become painters. Once Berthe Morisot
settled on pursuing art, her family did not impede her career. Despite the fact that as women they
were not allowed to join official arts institutions, the sisters earned respect in art circles for their
talent. She was born into a family that, according to family tradition, had included one of the most
prolific Rococo painters of the ancien régime, Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
Morisot's first appearance in the Salon de Paris came in 1864, at the age of twenty-three, with
the acceptance of two landscape paintings. She continued to show regularly in the Salon, to generally
favorable reviews, until 1873, the year before the first Impressionist exhibition.
Meanwhile, in 1868 Morisot became acquainted with Édouard Manet. He took a special
interest in Morisot, as is evident from his warm portrayal of her in several paintings, including a
striking portrait study of Morisot in a black veil, while in mourning for her father's death.
Correspondence between them bespeaks affection, and he once gave her an easel as a Christmas
present. He also interfered in one of her Salon submissions when he was engaged to transport it.
Manet mistook one of Morisot's self-criticisms as an invitation to add his corrections, which he did,
much to Morisot's dismay.
Although traditionally Manet has been related as the master and Morisot as the follower, there
is evidence that their relationship was a reciprocating one. Morisot had developed her own distinctive
artistic style. Records of paintings show Manet's appreciation of certain stylistic and compositional
decisions that Morisot originated. He incorporated some of these characteristics into his own work. It
was Morisot who persuaded Manet to attempt plein air painting, which she had been practicing. She
also drew Manet into the circle of painters who soon became known as the Impressionists.
In 1874, Berthe Morisot married Manet's younger brother, Eugne, also a painter. The marriage
provided her with social and financial stability while she continued to pursue her painting career.
Able to dedicate herself wholly to her craft, Morisot participated in the Impressionist exhibitions
every year except 1877, when she was pregnant with her daughter, Julie.
As a doctrinaire Impressionist as well as a member of the bourgeoisie, Morisot painted what
she experienced on a daily basis. Her paintings reflect the 19th-century cultural restrictions of her
class and gender. She avoided urban and street scenes as well as the nude figure and, like her fellow
female Impressionist Mary Cassatt, focused on domestic life and portraits in which she could use
family and personal friends as models. Her works also include landscapes, portraits, garden settings
and boating scenes.
After her husband died in 1892, Berthe Morisot continued to paint, although she was never
commercially successful during her lifetime. She did, however, outsell several of her fellow
Impressionists, including Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. Berthe Morisot died of pneumonia contracted
while attending to her daughter Julie's similar illness in 1895.
#78 - Additional Works by Berthe Morisot
The Cradle. 1873. Oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
Young Woman Powdering Herself. 1877. Oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
La Lecture (Reading). 1888. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
The Artist's Daughter with a Parakeet. 1890. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA
At the Ball. 1875. Oil on canvas. Musée Marmottan, Paris, France
#78 - Questions about Berthe Morisot
1) What is the meaning of bourgeois?
a) upper class
b) lower class
c) middle class
d) classes society
2) What do you think is evident from Édouard Manet's warm portrayal of Morisot in
several paintings, including a striking portrait study of Morisot in a black veil ?
a) Édouard Manet was family to Morisot
b) Édouard Manet took a special interest in Morisot
c) Édouard Manet took a special interest in all Renaissance artists
d) Édouard Manet took a special interest falling in love with Morisot's niece
3) Which statement best describes the familial consequences she faced o nce Berthe
Morisot settled on pursuing art?
a) her family disowned her
b) her family shunned her until she changed her career
c) her family did not impede her career
d) her family did not support her career
4) Based on the family tradition that Morisot was born into a family that, included one of
the most prolific Rococo painters of the ancien régime, which of these conclusions is
accurate?
a) she was related to the famous Rococo painter Leonardo da Vinci
b) she was related to the famous Renaissance painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard
c) she was related to the famous Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard
d) she was related to the famous Rococo painter Marcel Duchamp
5) Which of the following is a reason Édouard Manet interfered in one of Morisot's Salon
submissions when he was engaged to transport it?
a) Manet always felt he could do better than Morisot could herself
b) Manet mistook one of Morisot's self-criticisms as an invitation to add his corrections
c) Manet mistook one of Morisot's hand gestures as an invitation to change her work
d) Manet was always jealous of Morisot's success