Women Artists in Paris 1850-1900 by Lauren Madeline

Women Artists in Paris 1850-1900 is a catalogue by Lauren Madeline with Bridget Alsdorf, Richard Kendall, Jane R.Becker, Vibeke Waallan Hansen, Joelle Bollock.

This important book is published in collaboration with Yale University Press on the traveling art exhibit Women Artists.

More or less 90 painting by 37 artists.

The peculiarity? These artists were women from different part of the world and Europe but all in love for painting.

When we studied history of art, I don't think I remember any name close to Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh of the opposite genre. They were all men.

Was there a reason?

Of course. Discrimination. Can you believe it?

Women were seen as people without any kind of right of expressing  themselves in particular in the so-called "Fine Arts" sector.
Not only: they had the right to procreate, to serve their spouses, but their role was defined as housewives. All the rest, a predominant social role, of real thinkers and creatives unacceptable.

Impressionism was impressive because it broke a lot of old conventions and rules although it meant a lot of sacrifices, and when you'll read the biographies of these artists, you will discover that their biographies are pretty similar.

Not accepted as artists, seen as inferiors if compared to men, it was, this one, a long fight.

Schools like the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts) didn't take in consideration at all the admission of girls in their institute, 'till at the end of 1800.

A section of the book is dedicated to the women painters of North European Countries, where we suppose that there was a biggest freedom but where we will see that ladies fought a lot for seeing recognized their role in the society, as thinkers, creative ladies.

But all of them, wherever they lived had a dream: Paris. At that time Paris was lived like a dream, like the place where every dream could become true, where the Impressioniss was born and creativity couòd bloom. Everyone wanted to afford to Paris for studying art and painting. 

I was impressed by the stunning paintings of these artists.

It's possible to see  in these canvas women in their daily-life, while they are eating, while they are drinking tea with some friends, while they put some flowers in a vase, or while they are reading a letter or a book.
Not forgotten the dimension of being mothers with impressive painters but also the work in the fields, with elaborated paintings in grade to capture not just the moment but the light and sincerity of that lives, faces and hard work. These artists with courage covered the sufferance not painted by their colleagues of opposite sex, giving to the reality a strongest representation and leaving a manifesto and a mark made by sensibility, harmony, but also desperation, (a treat like also the melancholic one not so known in male artists of the Impressionism) reality, daily-life, social life, poverty, richness, asperity.

Some artists: Mina Carlson-Bredberg, Edma Pontillon, Anna Ancher, Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond.

Highly recommended.

I thank Yale University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna MariaPolidori