Not All Impressionists Were Men

“Real painters understand with a brush in their hand” Berthe Morisot

Celebrating International Women’s Day on Monday 8 March, River City Bangkok would like to introduce the female Impressionist, Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot.

French painter Berthe Morisot was a member of the circle of painters in Paris in the 19th century who became known as the Impressionists. You may not have heard of her but if you like Édouard Manet’s artwork, you will have seen her. Berthe was the languorous brunette with a half a scowl in his painting ‘The Balcony’ (1869). She was also the subject in ‘Bouquet of Violets’ (1872).

Morisot’s first appearance as an artist in the Salon de Paris came at the age of twenty-three in 1864, with the acceptance of two landscape paintings. She continued to show regularly in the Salon to generally favorable reviews.  She exhibited with the Impressionists in their exhibitions from 1874 onwards, only missing the exhibition in 1878 when her daughter was born.

Unlike many male Impressionists, Morisot painted what she experienced on a daily basis. Her paintings include domestic scenes of family, children, ladies, and flowers. They depicted the life of a woman in the late nineteenth century. Instead of portraying society in public places, Morisot preferred private, intimate settings.

This reflects the cultural restrictions of her class and gender at that time. A time, for example when women were not allowed to take anatomy lessons for fear they would be sullied by impure thoughts. Given the way women were told to conduct themselves, it is possible that Morisot never so much as looked at herself in the mirror without clothes on, despite the fact that she preferred painting women rather than men.

Don’t forget to visit THE IMPRESSIONISTS multimedia exhibition, until 18 April 2021 at the Museum of Digital Art on the 2nd floor, River City Bangkok. Tickets are available online at https://www.zipeventapp.com/e/theimpressionists or at The Gallery Shop, 1st floor, River City Bangkok.