Morisot, Berthe

(1841-1895)

   painter

   Born in Bourges, Berthe Morisot, an early and important impressionist, studied at the Lyonnais Guichard and, from 1862 to 1868, with camille corot. She met Edouard manet in 1862 and became interested in painting out of doors. She also became Manet's favorite model and married his brother in 1876. Morisot abandoned her early classical training to pursue an individualistic impressionist style that became distinctive for its subtlety and delicacy. In 1874, she participated in the first impressionist exhibition and showed regularly with the impressionist group. After 1877, her personal style emerged more in a series of portraits with freshness of tone, large brush strokes, subtle nuances, and free expression. Her technique, based on large touches of paint freely applied in every direction, gives her works a transparent, iridescent quality. Morisot worked in oil and in watercolor, producing mainly landscapes and scenes of women and children (Mme Pontillon, 1873). Around 1889, under the influence of auguste renoir, she painted her subjects with more emphasis and definition.