No group of artists or period of art history has inspired as much fascination and admiration, or has been as celebrated as the Impressionist school which flourished, centered in France, from 1874 to 1886. The Impressionists Handbook tells the story of these revolutionary painters and the dramatic times that shaped their vision. The first section of this book examines the artistic trends which led away from the classical schools of painting and the French landscape tradition in the early part of the nineteenth century to the Realist art of Courbet and on to the shocking debut of Manet in 1863. The second section considers the most important individuals in the history of Impressionism -- Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Sisley -- drawing out from their biographical details the passions that linked them together as a functioning group, and that ultimately pulled them apart. This authoritative and artistic approach to the history of the Impressionists and the legacy they forged -- from Manet's Olympia to Renoir's The Path in the Grass -- at last provides a greater understanding of the movement and explains why Impressionism continues to be one of the most popular artistic styles.

Includes index.