Berthe Morisot: 226 Colour Plates

Berthe Morisot was French artist, member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. She was described by Gustave Geffroy as one of "les trois grandes dames" of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. She formed a close friendship with Manet, who became her brother-in-law, and she served as model for several of his paintings. The two greatly influenced each other's artistic development. Her own later work inclined toward pure Impressionism in its rendering of light, while retaining an unusual smoothness of brushwork. Morisot painted what she experienced on a daily basis. Her paintings reflect the 19th-century cultural restrictions of her class and gender. She avoided urban and street scenes as well as the nude figure and, like her fellow female Impressionist Mary Cassatt, focused on domestic life and portraits in which she could use family and personal friends as models. Her works also include drawings, pastels and watercolors.