Biography: Berthe Morisot ‘Impressioniste’

• Author: D. Bona
• Title: Berthe Morisot: Le Secret de la femme en noir
• Published: 2000
• Language: French
• Trivia: Prix Goncourt de la Biographie 2000
• List Reading Challenges 2018
  
• Monthly reading planning
• #20BooksOfSummer
• List of Non-Fiction Books Read

Conclusion:

1. This book was such an entertaining read.
2. If you want to sharpen your ‘French Skills’
3. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.
4. The French is easy to follow
5. …and Berthe Morisot’s life is very interesting.
6. Above is her ‘chef-d’oeuvre’ Le Berceau (1872).
7. She painted her sister Edma and niece Blanche.
8. Notice the shimmering quality of the cradle’s veil
9. …the diagonal lines of the drapes behind Edma
10. and  flowing around the cradle.
11. Notice the mother’s intimate gaze upon her infant
12. …a moment of reflection, silence, peace with her
13. …cheek leaning on her hand.
14. Notice Edma’s bent left arm
15. …a mirror image of the child’s arm.
16. This paining is absolutely breathless.
17. Trivia: After unsuccessful attempts to sell the painting
18. …Le Berceau stayed in the model’s family
19. …until it was bought by the Louvre in 1930.

Did you know?

Morisot was anorexic and at times fainted in front of the painting she was working on. After the birth of her daughter 1878 Berthe finally felt true joy. Her body rejuvenated and the dark circles under her eyes vanished.

Morisot was always referred to as ‘Madame’ by fellow artists and never Berthe.

Never commercially successful during her lifetime, she nevertheless outsold Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

Morisot painted only 1 adult male...her husband Eugène Manet.

Last thoughts:

1. I enjoy reading in French but it took me 5 years to
2. build up a vocabulary.
3. Of course I am still looking up words.
4. A book that is easy to start with is the prize winning
5. Charlotte  by David Foenkinos.
6. It was awarded Prix Renaudot  2014.
7. Here is the LINK and I know you will enjoy it!
8. Learning a 2nd or 3rd  language opens up an entire
9. new library for you.
10. I can read books in English, French and Dutch!
11. If I really try….I can get through a German book.
12. All you have to do is choose a book
13. …use this LINK  for  a very
14. …good digital French-English dictionary (or other languages)
    
15. …and you are starting a great adventure!
16. Here is the list of the French Books Read.
17. I have included reviews of  books  2017 – 2018

Berthe Morisot:

Le Balcon, E. Manet