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Berthe
Morisot was born in Bourges, France into a family
of wealth and culture. Her father was a high ranking
civil servant. Berthe was introducted to Edouard
Manet, whom she greatly admired. Although Manet
was had a strong influence on her work, she soon
developed a distinctive style of her own. Her
style, in turn, influenced his painting. Morisot
married Manet's brother Eugene in December, 1874.
By 1885 she had begun to hold regular soirees
for friends that were artists or writers, including
Mallarmé. Morisot exhibited regularly at the Salon,
and at all the Impressionist exhibitions except
for 1879. Morisot took part in the innovations
of the Impressionists from the beginning and she
remained faithful up to the last group exhibition
in 1886.
Morisot worked out an individual style: characteristic
of her work are its very light touch and great
intimacy of atmosphere (see The Cradle). Her technique,
based on large touches of paint applied freely
in every direction, give her works a transparent,
iridescent quality. She worked both in oil and
in watercolor, producing mainly landscapes and
scenes of women and children. |
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