Bethe Morisot
Bethe Morisot was a French impressionist painter, that has been said to be one of the best of the impressionists - which is strange because I'd never heard of her and I bet most of you hadn't either! She grew up in a wealthy family and received an art education. She developed from water colors to oil paints, and then began to experiment with drawing. Morisot painted what she saw and knew - the domestic life of a woman in the 19th century. The painting that I put a picture of is one of her later works entitled L'Hortensia. This painting helps us see her development as an artist and the transformation that she has experienced throughout her career. I think that it is really cool to be able to analyze her beginning artwork versus the works at the end of her career. I loved learning about Morisot and finding out about her! I think it is wonderful that we have such an amazing woman artist who painted to appeal to women and their experiences.
Morisot is quoted as saying "I don't think there has ever been a man who treated a woman as an equal and that's all I would have asked for, for I know I'm worth as much as they." This is a very controversial opinion for a woman to have in her day and age and shows us how she went about her life and her career. She contributed a lot to the field of impressionism and to the field of feminism. Morisot painted for women. She celebrated womanhood in her artwork and knew that she was just as good (in a lot of cases better) than the men who were painting alongside her. She was a woman in a very predominantly male field which could not have been easy for her. However, she persevered and was able to change impressionism and open the world of art for women to enjoy and participate in just as much as men.
Unfortunately, I don't think that Bethe Morisot has been commemorated well. I didn't know about her before Dr. Hegstrom taught us about her, and most other people did not either. Her art and portraits are displayed in the Musee de Orsay which I think is wonderful, but I wish that she was just as much of a household name as Monet or Renoir. Her art deserves to be seen and looked at just as much as theirs. I think it offers such a wonderful new aspect of impressionism that steps more outside the realm of plein air and other typical impressionism subjects. I think that she should be more broadly recognized, maybe with an exhibit of her own or something to help her artwork be more in the public eye. Something like this could bring her more recognition and hopefully inspire girls and women in art.
Laurencin encountered resistance from art institutions and critics who often dismissed or trivialized her work based on her gender.
ReplyDeleteLilly, this was so interesting to read about! I hadn't heard about Bethe Morisot until this post either, so that validates basically everything you talked about in this blog post! Bethe Morisot faced the sad fate of being an incredible painter in a time when women were not taken seriously. She faced the large obstacle of being a women in a world full of men, constantly ridiculed and ignored. Sadly, that bias still exists in the world today, with women artists and actors constantly being ignored and not taken seriously. It's so cool to hear about this amazing artist and hear a little bit more of her story, thanks for sharing, Lilly!!
ReplyDeleteI think that what you started off with is sooo interesting, that she is regarded as one of the most famous impressionist painters and yet most of us haven't heard of her, we know artist like Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Sisley who all happen to be men... I love that quote by her as well about all she wants is for men to just think of her and other women as equal, that it can truly be that simple. I think that looking at her could give us a new insight into Paris, like how she was allowed to paint of course but she was never quite as famous as some of the other men.
ReplyDeleteLilly, I love the quote you used! It totally gives a general idea of who Bethe Morisot was. Her gender played was a big obstacle in her days but instead of letting that stop her, she embraced it and used it in her paintings. She painted for women and was an example to females that they have every rights to be as great as males. Women artist are now getting the recognition they deserve and there is a huge improvement to that since Bethe time.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post Lily! I wrote about Bethe Morisot also! I liked that you pointed out how she wasn’t commemorated very well in Paris. Monet and Renoir definitely get way more fanfare and attention. I like how you pointed out that she was well aware of how different she was being treated than the male artists of her time!
ReplyDeleteLoved your post because I love Bethe Morisot's work! Her work is very much like Monet. She did in fact influence Monet a bit as I remember. She was very much a woman ahead of her time. She fought for her place in the art world and I am so happy that you wrote about her because she deserves recognition.
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