I was familiar with much of this art history from a university introductory course (Darkness at Noon) and French political history from other readings but King weaves a wonderful story of their interconnectedness that filled in a lot of gaps for me. Perfect pandemic reading. ( )

About Impressionism ( )

I always enjoy histories of the arts (music history, literary history and art history), and Ross King is one of the best art historians writing for a broad audience. Obviously, a book (or in my case, an audio book) about art has its limitations (which copious use of Google Image search is the remedy).

The beauty of King's work is his focus on the *history* aspect - not just the history of the artists, but the history of the period more broadly. The history of the Second Empire and its fall, the Paris Commune of 1871, and the earliest days of the Third Republic are all here. We learn a lot about the artists, but also Napoleon III (and to a lesser extent, Napoleon Bonaparte), Wilhelm I of Prussia, and the political leaders of France in the period from 1863 onward.

The hero here is Eduard Manet; the ultimate villain is Ernest Meissonier. You might ask about the latter, "Who?" This book will tell you. Both hero and villain are portrayed not in black and white, but in varying shades of grey, with all of their human warts and foibles. A great read. ( )

It's hard to believe that Impressionism, the almost universally loved school of art would ever have been regarded as dangerous and controversial. However, in the 1860's that's precisely how it was regarded by the powers that be in France. This entertaining group tells the story of the movement through two opposing artists of the time: Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet, the former an accepted and officially revered traditionalist and the latter a revolutionary at the vanguard of a new wave of art.

It also weaves the history of the time through the story, the rise of the Second Empire, Baron Haussmann's rebuilding of Paris, the Franco-Prussian War, the bloody Commune, and finally La Belle Epoch. A great read for those who love art, history and/or France ( )

As good an introduction to the impressionist movement as I've read, though the end feels a bit rushed (and to be honest I haven't read all that many). Not quite to the same level as others of King's books, but still provides a very decent treatment of the evolution of the movement's critical reception. King's biographical details on the not-at-all-well-known-now Meissonier were fascinating, too. ( )