Berthe Morisot is born into a mid-aristocratic family on 14th January 1841.  Her father Edmé Tiburce Morisot was a Government administrator and her great-great uncle Jean-Honoré Fragonard an exceptionally skilled Rococo oil painter of 18th and 19th Century renown.

Please do look up his work as its truly ‘off-the-scale’ in quality, so to speak.  His work will absolutely give you a Mona Lisa smile.  To this day I cannot possibly say ‘so to speak’ or ‘to coin a phrase’ without thinking of a preeminently smart stockmarket broker from my informative years.

‘Through The Looking-Glass’ I saw the man seated like an attentive human Orchestrator amid the ensemble, waving his arms about to the flickering of innumerable monitoring screens and flashes of sinuously time-honoured figures.

In ‘The Matrix’ the telephone rings and as lightning Quicksilver +- pick it up!

Question – So why not punch the keys like the speeding rock hitting speeding rock with ‘o-Ne’ mightily thunderous shudder?

Well, at least ‘Your mind makes it real’.

I’d like to mention that I was already familiar with Fragonard’s work sometime before researching Berthe Morisot.  Calling all art museums, please, never leave any of his paintings within the positronic grasp.  Well, not unless you would enjoy watching ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’.  A ‘1999’ would look quite splendid on a bedroom wall, don’t you know?

Merely a witticism of course.

Berthe along with her sisters Yves and Edma painted from an early age.  Edma and Berthe continuing their painting together into adult life.  As proletariat’s their working education was immensely important.

The testimony to their position within aristocratic society is made exemplary by Edgar Degas painting Yves after her marriage to Theodore Gobillard.  His portrait piece of 1869 is entitled ‘Madame Theodore Gobillard‘ and can be viewed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Edouard Manet is also closely associated with the sisters prior to and following the marriage of Berthe to Eugene Manet in 1874 – brother of the famous French painter.  Indeed, Edouard Manet and Berthe influence each others work.  Embracing elements of their respective art styles and methods.

For anyone avidly interested in perfecting art construction, including myself, this raucous painting by Morisot is worthwhile study.  Perfection could aptly be described as fit for purpose.  The ambiguity within this artwork demonstrates charm, interpersonal connectivity of characters and natural commercial industry.

Seagulls as apparitions mimic the sky and water!

‘Would you like to see the sky as seagulls fly or waves made as dolphins and whales that ascend upon high, laughing bound as seconds they escape their watery surround, replete with animated odes that fill eyes with salted joyful tears found, nay shy, nay shy to all of life’s earthly sounds?’

The red flecks intrigue and hint at Chinese scribal influence.

Two characters at the foreground, what is this you are discussing?  In this English landscape shown above is there a far-eastern influence?  Symbolism.

Below we see a breezy meadow scene depicting Edma Morisot reading.  We can take an educated guess that the Morisot women are learned and rather eager for the knowledge of things.  Facts and fictional works in literature.

A green umbrella perhaps to protect Edma, also, from the sun’s rays can be seen lower left of the painting.

Edma has begun reading her book and is blissfully engrossed in the pages.  Umbrella and fan cast aside, eyes downward sitting comfortably in a ‘lady-like’ manner.  The prettiness of her hat reminiscent of Julia Andrews singing and dancing through fields.

Raw detailing of the surrounding vegetation with superlative handling of background structure.  I feel that one could run towards the hilly horizon trudging along in Wellington boots and knee high shorts.  Oh what fun.

The ‘Girl Carrying A Basket’ has one of the best posing expressions I’ve seen.  Truly Mona Lisa-esque.  The pastel work is vibrant, conspicuous and distinct.

Do we change when posing for photographers and painters or do we morph into who we really are?  The girl is humble and respectful of her well known French illustrator.  Today, girls excitedly seek hats for special occasions.  Fashion world please bring back the social hat experience.

Usually I post four images per artist, however, I loved this sketch in red chalk so much that I just had to include it.  Actually, as I look at this now it appears artistically modern in style for an 1890 artwork!

Berthe Morisot remains a towering figurehead of achievement for modern creative artists.  Especially for female artisans to aspire to.  Berthe socially intermingled, influenced and conquered the Impressionist art market based upon the merits of her tremendous body of work.  All this whilst living and exhibiting amongst her male artist contemporaries during the latter 19th Century.

Berthe Morisot – A woman’s perspective of the Art Impressionists’ Impressionist.