Three impressionist paintings By Maya Ross Russell

Le Berceau, 1872, Berthe Morisot, Musee D’Orsay, salle 30 When Berthe Morisot painted The Cradle she focused on the every day life of her sister Edme. Edme is the mother in the painting and the child is Edme’s newborn baby Blanche. Berthe Morisot was the wife of Manet’s brother. This painting was important because the people who said bad things about how Impressionism was not good painting were silenced by this soft and delicate piece. This painting captures the beauty of the relationship between a mother and her child. The arms of the mother and baby are in the same position and both are in harmony. Berthe Morisot somehow painted the caring connection between a mother and her baby. Why I chose this painting: I really thought that Berthe Morisot was trying to say something to the world when she painted this painting. I think she was trying to say that you can have a really big connection between a mother and child. I think Berthe Morisot really went out of her way to make this feeling look real in the painting.

l‘Evasion de rochefort, 1881, Edouard Manet, Musee D’Orsay, Salle 31 About this painting The escape of Rochefort is a historical painting about a writer in the 1860’s who criticised the French government and was said to have encouraged people to steal and break things. He was eventually convicted and then exiled to the South Pacific. Four months later he escaped to San Francisco with five buddies but wasn’t allowed to return to France until Then he wrote a book about his journey and Manet read it and painted the picture about when he was escaping. Manet loved the sea and he took his time to get the texture and brush strokes right therefore making it more beautiful. Another artist had also done a shipwreck painting called The Raft of the Medusa. In it the people were most important. In this painting it was more about the sea than about the people. This was a different kind of historical painting because it did not focus on painting hero people. Why I chose this painting: When I looked at this painting I felt like I was actually looking at the criminals escaping. I really like the texture of the sea. Manet focussed on the sea and really made it look like it was moving.

Danseuses Bleue, 1881, Edgar Degas, Musee D’Orsay, Salle 31 About this painting This is one of many paintings that Edgar Degas painted to depict one of his favourite subjects – dancers. He liked to paint them not in poses but when they were not looking or busy doing something else. His style was quite different from the other painters. He was very good at capturing movements and considered an excellent painter of the human form. Why I chose this painting I like this painting because unlike most impressionist paintings this has captures impressionism using people. I particularly like the colours. The background looks like a field of flowers. The blue brings out the main dancer people.