Studio: international art (29.1903)

Impressionist Painting

I

IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING: ITS " Eragny Bazpncourt,

GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT.
—SECOND ARTICLE. BY WYN-

" 6 Nov., igo2.

"... En 1870 je me trouvais a Londres avec
Monet ; j'y renconlrais Daubigny et Bonvin.

FORD DEWHURST. " Monet et moi etions tres enthousiasmes des paysages

de Londres. Monet travaillait dans les parks ; j'habitais
Lower Norwood, d'ou je rayonnais dans les environs, qui
The outbreak of the Franco-German war in a cette ^poque aaient charmants. &udiant les effets de

1870 scattered far and wide that interesting and brume, de neige, de printemps. Nous avons travaille

now historic little group of painters, poets, and uniquement sur nature; plus tard, dans ces derniers

authors, the elite of their class in Paris, whose f11?3' M°.net a M\ k Ltmdres.de superbes effets de

brume. Bien entendu, nous visitions ces musees. .Les
weekly habit It had been to assemble for con- aquarelles et les peintures de Turner, les Constable, les

genial social intercourse at the celebrated Cafe Old Chrome, ont en certainement de 1'influence sur

Guerbois nous. Nous admirions Gainsborough, Lawrence,

M'antt, then the leading spirit of the group,

Reynolds, etc , mais nous etions plus frappes par les
paysagistes, qui rentraient plus dans nos recherches du

whose work was causing an extraordinary furore plein 'air> de la iumiere et des effets fugitifs. Watts,

in Paris, took service as captain in the "Garde Rossetti, nous ont fort interesses parmi les modernes.

Nationale," though little fitted for the post. There, " Nous avons eu a ce moment l'idee d'envoyer de nos

to his surprise, he found himself under the colonelcy etudes k Imposition du Royal Academy ; nous avons

. , naturellement ete refuses. . . .

or Meissonier, who, jealous and disdamlul 01 the

nouveau ve'nu, did not help to make military life in Note en passant the last paragraph. Is it not
any way agreeable to the high-metalled painter of even now morally certain that our insular, exclusive,
Olympia. and most prudent Academy would just as naturally

Boudin and Jongkind retired to Belgium, refuse to hang their works, chefs d'oetivre though
where they eked out a most precarious existence, they be, creations of men of acknowledged genius
reduced at times even to offer their services and result of fifty years of strenuous practice in
as manual labourers. Guillaumin feared the mat their art ?

de mer of a passage to England, and so missed Besides Monet and Pissarro—Bonvin, Daubigny,
the chance of first-hand profit by the study of Yvon, Alex. Prevot, and the picture dealer, M.
British art on the spot, and was enabled only Durand-Ruel, formed a little coterie of eminent
to take subsequent advantage of it by hints Frenchmen in temporary sojourn amongst us.
from Monet, Pissarro, Bonvin, Daubigny and With what feelings of eager joy and surprise must
other compatriots who
did brave the elements
and settle in London.
They came over almost
penniless, saddened, dis-
gusted, and hostile to
an imbecile government,
which had plunged their
beloved country into a
reckless and ruinous ad-
venture.

It was a momentous
journey for them and for
art, and chiefest interest
now centres in their
doings.

The following portion
of a letter from Pissarro to
me, reveals the methods
of work they adopted
and various influences
felt by the exiles in

London:— " le pont boieldieu a rouen '

94

by c pissarro