Impressionist London

More about the book

Part art history, part social history, this work chronicles the responses of French and other Impressionists to the dynamic city of turn-of-the-century London, the largest and most powerful city on earth. Its vibrant activity inspired the French Impressionists, who painted more scenes of London—its parks, fogs, and riverscapes—than any other city outside Paris. Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro fled war-torn France in 1870, producing some of their most appealing works during their time in London. Alfred Sisley found inspiration just outside the city, creating lovely images of regattas at Hampton Court. Vincent van Gogh spent some of his happiest months there, discovering British art and literature that shaped his career. Other notable artists include visitors Giuseppe de Nittis and Andre Derain, expatriates James McNeill Whistler, James Tissot, and John Singer Sargent, as well as British painters like Spencer Gore, Walter Richard Sickert, and Philip Wilson Steer. This vividly written and elegantly designed book features exquisite paintings, rare archival images, and lively commentaries, capturing the essence of Impressionist London and the lives of the artists it inspired.