Berthe Morisot (1841 - 1895)

Morisot was born in 1841 into a wealthy family who encouraged her to study art. Her father was a high ranking civil officer. She received conventional drawing and painting lessons - taught by Joseph-Benoit Guichard. However she soon abandoned traditional painting in favor of a more progressive Impressionist style. She was determined to pursue art as a profession. She was influenced by different painters - starting with the Old Masters and ending with Corot. Corot began to teach both Morisot and her sister Edna and later suggeste that she go to Auvers-sur-Oise and learn to paint plein air.

Morisot was the first woman to join the French Impressionist group and exhibited at practically every one of their shows. She once said "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 I know I'm worth as much as they" Morisot first exhibited her landscape art at Salon in 1964. She was introduced to Manet in 1868 and he had a profound influence on her art. She was friends with him for many years and they worked together on occasion. Manet even painted a portrait of her. He became her brother-in-law in 1874 when she married his brother Eugene. During this time most Impressionists were experimenting with color and lighting but a few artists including Manet and Morisot chose to adopt a more conservative technique that represented color in a more naturalistic way. She encouraged Manet do adopt the high key Impressionists palettes and restrict the use of black.Morisot travelled in Europe for many years and continued to exhibit her art regularly. Her house in Paris became a common meeting place for memebers of the Impressionist circle including Renoir,Degas,Monet and Pissarro. The subject matter of her paintings was usually either landscape art or the depiction of women and children in different settings.