Review: The Private Lives of the Impressionists

The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I'm only on page 23 but this is already fascinating. Monet came to Paris from Normandy and enrolled in an art school where his classmate was Pissarro (a Portuguese Jew born in the Dutch West Indies), and they became friends. After a while another student joins, called Cezanne (who came to Paris with his good friend Emile Zola). After going back for a visit to Normandy and returning, Monet enrolls with another teacher and is classmates with Renoir. They then room together to save on rent, with Cezanne stopping by often. They're also hanging out with Sisley and Bazille. Affaire à suivre...

*****
Well, I finished the book, and I honestly can't believe they haven't made a movie or TV drama about these people. I have no interest in art, know next to nothing about Impressionism, and frankly just thought I ought to tackle this book because I've had it for over ten years collecting dust. However, I found the entire thing interesting. It certainly had some less than enthralling sections, but then again, it is basically a biography of a group of painters who banded together, were ridiculed, were often immature, often not, found spouses, had children, and finally, after decades, gained recognition. Given that, I'm amazed at how much of it was actually really riveting.

If you're not sure, check out the second (long) paragraph on page 91 (in the paperback version), about how Renoir, before he was famous, was almost killed by a firing squad and how he got out of it. The book seems full of little gems like that.

Recommended for anyone who is interested in Art, Art history, Impressionism, or in none of all that, like I was.



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