Topics in Impressionism
March 13-May 15 (no class on April 17 & 24)
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Though widely beloved today, the Impressionists’ paintings baffled, amused, and challenged
many viewers in the late 19th century. This course takes a thematic approach to Impressionism,
considering the artists’ approach to traditional subjects and exploring how context, artistic
persona, and advances in technology advanced the goals of the artists. Finally, the course
concludes with a consideration of the impact of the movement on younger artists at the close of
the nineteenth century.
Course Objectives
Participants will:
 Gain an understanding of the social, historical, and artistic developments of the period
from 1850-1886
 Become acquainted with basic theoretical concepts of this period through reading and
discussing the writings of art historians as well as artists from the period
 Learn about the various approaches art historians take to evaluate the art of this period,
and evaluate their effectiveness
Course Readings
Readings will be available only through Google Drive. Participants will need a Google mail
(Gmail) account (free) to access Google Drive. Information about how to do this will be
discussed during the first class.
Calendar
March 13: The Origins of Impressionism
March 20: Impressionism and Paris
Reading: Julia Sagraves, “The Street,” in Gustave Caillebotte, Urban Impressionist, pp. 84-101
(Full citation for all readings in reading list below.)
March 27: Impressionism and Nature
Reading: Richard Brettell, “The Impressionist Landscape and the Image of France,” in A Day in
the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, pp. 27-49
April 3: Impressionist Portraiture
Reading: Linda Nochlin, “Impressionist Portraits and the Construction of Modern Identity,” in
Renoir’s Portraits, pp. 53-75
April 10: Impressionism and Women
Reading: Excerpts from Berthe Morisot: Correspondence, ed. Denis Rouart. London: Moyer
Bell Ltd., 1987.
**NO CLASS ON APRIL 17 & 24**
May 1: Work and Leisure in Impressionist Art
Reading: Robert Herbert, “Impressionism, Leisure, and Modern Society,” in Impressionism: Art,
Leisure, and Parisian Society, pp. 303-306.
May 8: Field Trip to the Art Institute
May 15: Impressionism into Post-Impressionism
For Further Reading
Bailey, Colin B. Renoir’s Portraits: Impressions of an Age. New Haven: Yale University Press,
1997.
Boggs, Jean Sutherland et.al. Degas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988.
Brettell, Richard, et. al. A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape. Los
Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.
______.Painting Quickly in France 1860-90. Yale University Press, 2000.
Brombert, Beth Archer. Édouard Manet: Rebel in a Frock Coat. University of Chicago Press,
1993.
A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape. Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, 1984.
Callen, Anthea. The Work of Art: Plein-Air Painting and Artistic Identity in Nineteenth-Century
France. Reaktion Books, 2015.
_____. Techniques of the Impressionists. Chartwell Books, 1982.
Clark, T.J. The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and His Followers. Princeton
University Press, 1984.
Denvir, Bernard. The Thames and Hudson Encyclopedia of Impressionism. Thames and Hudson,
1990.
Distel, Anne, et al. Gustave Caillebotte, Urban Impressionist. New York: Abbeville, 1995.
Herbert, Robert. Barbizon Revisited. Clark and Way, 1962.
_____. Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society. Yale University Press, 1988.
Higonnet, Anne. Berthe Morisot. Harper & Row, 1990.
Kendall, Richard, and Griselda Pollock, ed. Dealing with Degas: Representations of Women and
the Politics of Vision. Universe, 1992.
Mathews, Nancy Mowll. Mary Cassatt: A Life. New Haven, 1994.
Nochlin, Linda. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism 1874-1904. Prentice-Hall, 1966.
Renoir. Arts Council of Great Britain, 1985.
Rewald, John. The History of Impressionism. The Museum of Modern Art, 1973.
Rouart, Denis, ed. Berthe Morisot Correspondence. Exeter: Moyer Bell Limited, 1987.
Rubin, James. Impressionism. London: Phaidon Press, 1999.
Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception. Thames and Hudson, 2000.
Tinterow, Gary and Henri Loyrette, Origins of Impressionism. The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
1994.