Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot , 1841-95, French impressionist painter. She studied with many gifted painters, including Corot . She formed a close friendship with Manet , who became her brother-in-law, and she served as model for several of his best-known 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. Her paintings formed an important addition to all but one impressionist exhibit from 1874 through 1885. Her most notable works, including Young Woman at the Dance (1880; Paris) and La Toilette (Art Inst., Chicago), are painted in clear, luminous colors. Her early subject matter included landscapes and marine scenes; later she most frequently painted tranquil portraits of mothers and children. Morisot's works have been particularly popular in the United States, and many important works are in American collections.

Bibliography: See catalog (ed. by D. Rouart, 1960); her correspondence (ed. by D. Rouart; tr., 2d ed. 1959).

Morisot, Berthe (1841–95). French Impressionist painter. Fragonard was her great-grandfather and she was brought up in a highly cultured atmosphere. She was a pupil of Corot, but the chief formative influence on her work was Manet, whom she met in 1868, and whose brother she married in 1874. In her turn she is said to have persuaded Manet to experiment with the Impressionist ‘rainbow’ palette and with plein-air painting. After Manet's death in 1883 she came under the influence of Renoir. Her pictures were regularly accepted for the Salon, but she was a strong opponent of conventional academic teaching and a champion of Impressionist ideals; she participated in all the Impressionist exhibitions except the fourth (1879), when she was prevented from taking part by ill health. She specialized in gentle domestic scenes, painted in a delicate, feathery technique, and was also an excellent marine painter. Her watercolours are as accomplished as her oils, and in addition she produced pastels, drypoints, and lithographs. She was renowned for her beauty and charm and often posed for Manet.