International studio (19.1903)

and Sisley previous to 1870, that is to say, previous
to their visit to London of that date, discloses
the fact that they were, iike the majority of
their contemporaries, working in gray tones—the
effect of Corot's strong in&uence, added to that
of Manet, Boudin, and Courbet.
Nothing that those intermediary men, Jongkind,
Boudin, Isabey, Lepine, and Courbet have done
can be compared for a moment with the infiuence
of the Englishmen upon the direct deveiopment of
modern art. They form a group of little masters :
men of uncommon character and earnestness of
purpose, richly endowed with natural talents, poor
beyond belief in material wealth. Sincere in their
art and producing wonderfuHy interesting pictures
in grey tones; inspired by genuine iove of nature,
though never attaining the general technique and
coiour vibration of the Englishmen, their pre-
decessors, nor of Monet and the rest of his co-
workers, any history of this subject, however
brief, would be incomplete without some reference
to the part piayed by them in the development of
yV.?3*7:-<z;'7' painting.
Impressionism has already broken down aii

barriers of resistance in Europe and America—
ali the opposition of amateurs and the governing
bodies of public institutions, who, formerly banded
by instinct of opposition to the " new," now
compete most energetically for possession of ex-
amples of the modern art.
I will relate a typical instance of a process that
is in course of evolution throughout the world,
for the outlines of which I am indebted to
Theodore Duret's sumptuous "Histoire d'Edouard
Manet." *
In rgoo, the far-sighted and courageous Herr
von Tschudi, Director of the N dional Gallery,
Berlin, aided by private donations, solicited
especially for the object in view, in order to leave
intact the public funds set aside for acquisition
of works of art in his gallery, purchased a number
of impressionist pictures, of which he has been
good enough to favour me with a list.
It includes, amongst others, works by Monet,
Cezanne, Sisley, Pissarro, Degas, Claus, Liebermann,
and Hans Olde. Of these he was, and is, very
proud ; and, as htting their merit, he gave them the


HY BERTHE MORISOT
165

" I.A TOILETTE