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The Judgment of ParisThe Revolutionary Decade that
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Manet and Meissonier. Nouveau and classical. The clash of cultures that resulted in the Impressionist movement involves so much more than differing artistic style but in Ross King's The Judgment of Paris it begins with the story of two men. |
One is an established respected painter who received royal attention and commissions. The other, an upstart, whose work offends far more than it sells.
The Judgment of Paris opens during the pivotal artistic year 1863. There was such an outcry at the quality of the works refused at that year's Paris Salon that these works were displayed in a special exhibit : Salon des Refusés. The story ends the year of the first Impressionist exhibition, 1874.
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Manet's masterful Déjeuner sur l'herbe, found on the front cover of The Judgment of Paris actually takes its pose from a lost Raphael composition of a group of river gods. Though in Manet's version the woman is unclothed and the men fully dressed. The painting was universally panned. |
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At the Paris Salon artists were grouped together via last name: Manet and Meisonnier occupied the same room. The latter's work was always well-received given his great attention to detail and his patriotic renditions of Napoleon.
Manet had trouble selling his works. Meissonier's work attracted bidding wars.
During this decade the government of Napoleon III would fall after an ill-advised war with Germany which the French lost. In the meantime the jury election process for the Salon would undergo constant reworking to appease the critics while keeping tight control so the 'right' art was put on display and the rest suffering the indignity of a red "R" stamped on the back of their canvas. Courbet makes an appearance for constantly being rejected, and then as his popularity shifts, Meissonier misreads it and goes out of his way to keep the man from the Salon.
Title: The Emperor Napoleon III at the Battle of Solferino, 1863
Artist: Ernest Meissonier (French 1815-1891)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Image Courtesy: Walker & Company
King's research is meticulous. The amount of information is staggering as the narrative moves forward through all of the paint and petty jealousies among the artists. Yet, despite their personal feelings of the government's treatment of their creativity, when war came many fought for the glory of France. As the country altered so too did it's artistic tastes. Not that the story really ends with the first Impressionist exhibit, after all the movement was named in jest for Monet's Impression Sunrise.
Front Cover Image :
The Judgment of Paris:
The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism
Author: Ross King
ISBN: 0-8027-1466-8
Publisher: Walker & Company
Front Cover Image Courtesy: Walker & Company