Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Examines the use of cafes, opera houses, dance halls, theaters, racetracks, and the seaside in impressionist French paintings.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Herbert's revisionist approach to Impressionism shows how the transformation of the Parisian life-style during the third quarter of the 19th century influenced the style and, more importantly, the subjects of Impressionist painters. As broad, tree-lined boulevards and large parks filled the city with air and light, leisure became a prime concern. The various forms of entertainment that developedcafes-concerts, ballet, horseracing, picnicking, boatingconsequently became the focus of Impressionist paintings. This extremely scholarly yet eminently readable text thoroughly integrates Impressionism with its time, making us view this marvelous art with fresh insight. An exciting book for all libraries. Lynell A. Morr, John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Lib., Sarasota, Fla. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

After Baron Haussmann remodeled Paris in the 1850s and '60s, the city's clear perspectivesbroad streets and vast squares, cafes and theatersbecame the raw material for paintings by Manet, Degas, Renoir, Morisot, Monet and Caillebotte. This provocative rewarding study starts with that architectural premise, then goes on to consider individual Impressionists in the context of the social forces that shaped their art. Renoir, a working-class boy who climbed out of poverty by aspiring to a life of ease, conjured up a fleshy Arcadia that reflected city-dwellers' longing for social harmony; his sin, according to Yale art-history professor Herbert, was self-delusion. Degas infused painting with caricature, unmasking upper-class hypocrisy. Picture after picture is given a fresh, often unexpected reading, and the 320 plates (two-thirds in color) are deftly interwoven with the sprightly narrative. The study is a visual and intellectual feast. BOMC alternate. (October) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

The social context of the impressionist movement-- a topic first addressed in T. J. Clark's The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and His Followers [BKL Mr 1 85]-- here receives a broader interpretation, as Herbert studies how the urban development of Paris in the late nineteenth century affected the lives and works of the impressionist artists. This transformation of a city and of art history is revealed through documentation of the interaction between impressionism and urban social conditions. Bringing all this background data of everyday life to the aesthetic foreground, Herbert convincingly reevaluates the credo of impressionism as it influenced both individual artists and the movement as a whole-- and further set its mark on all of modern society. Well illustrated, with an extensive series of color and black-and-white reproductions. Notes, bibliography; index. JB.

Kirkus Book Review

An immensely impressive, lavishly illustrated, and superbly researched revisionist study of the Impressionist movement. Herbert (History of Art/Yale) has devoted 20 years to the creation of this monumental study; his efforts will be applauded not only by scholars but also by general readers interested in the art and history of the late 19th century. Turning his attention to the leisurely pursuits of Parisians under the Second Empire, the author provides insights into such pleasure haunts as cafÉs, the Opera House, dance halls, theaters, race tracks; holidays along the Seine, and vacations by the sea. Paris itself was being transformed by Baron Haussman, and Herbert convincingly portrays the fascination that the changing face of the city held for many of the Impressionists. He is equally adept at depicting such rituals as theater-going, and illuminates the differing social attitudes to be found among the audiences at the cafÉ-concerts, the music-halls, and the ballet. Most importantly, he is able to relate these attitudes to the works of such artists as Manet, Degas, and Renoir. His analysis of Manet's ""A Bar at the Folies-Bergere,"" for example, is a model of concision and perceptivity. Happily, Herbert eschews the art-history jargon that mars so many studies. His writing is straightforward, lively, and evocative--in short, a delight to read. Add the 70 black-and-white illustrations and the 240 excellent color plates, and the combination of text and pictures is irresistible. Also included: a handy chronology, notes and bibliography. Altogether, then: a work every art lover will find a source of pleasure and information for years to come. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.