Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Cassatt: the friends who painted light
In 1874 a group of young painters put on their own show. A critic laughed and called them "Impressionists". They kept the name, and changed art forever.
In the 1860s, the Paris Salon decided which art was good. It liked big, smooth paintings of gods and battles. A group of friends wanted something else. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro and Berthe Morisot painted real life: cafés, dancers, trains and Sunday picnics. They often worked outside, fast, to catch the light before it changed. New paint in tubes made this easy, and new trains took them to the coast of Normandy in a few hours. In 1874 they held their own exhibition. The critics were not kind. But the friends kept going, with eight shows in twelve years. The American Mary Cassatt joined them too. Later, Monet moved to Giverny and spent his last thirty years painting his garden pond. Today these "failed" painters are among the most loved in the world.
Pick a colour to follow one story. Every moment shows where you can still see it.
An American painter invents the metal paint tube. Now artists can carry their colours outside and paint in the open air.
So many paintings are refused by the Salon that the emperor opens a second show for them. Manet's Luncheon on the Grass causes a scandal.
See it at: Musée d'OrsayMonet paints the port of Le Havre in the morning mist, in quick, loose strokes. This small painting will give the movement its name.
See it at: Musée Marmottan MonetThirty artists show their work in the old studio of the photographer Nadar. A critic mocks them as "Impressionists". Berthe Morisot is the only woman in the show.
Renoir paints a sunny Sunday dance at the Moulin de la Galette. Look at the spots of light falling through the trees.
See it at: Musée d'OrsayMonet sets up his easel inside the Gare Saint-Lazare and paints a whole series of the station. Trains, steam and glass: modern life as art.
See it at: Musée d'OrsayInvited by Degas, the American Mary Cassatt shows with the group for the first time. She paints mothers, children and women at the theatre.
Degas shows his wax Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, with real hair and a cloth tutu. Many visitors are shocked. Bronze copies were cast after his death.
See it at: Musée d'OrsayIn Rouen, Monet paints the front of the cathedral over and over, in morning, noon and evening light. He makes more than thirty versions.
See it at: Musée des Beaux-Arts de RouenThe day after the end of the First World War, Monet offers his giant Water Lilies to France. They are put up in the Orangerie in 1927, after his death.
See it at: Musée de l'OrangerieThe museums and places where this story comes alive.
The biggest Impressionist collection in the world, in an old train station. The famous paintings are usually on the top floor. Do not miss the view of Paris through the giant station clock.
Two white oval rooms, lit from above, with Monet's Water Lilies all around you. Sit on the bench in the middle and let your eyes go slowly along the walls.
A quiet mansion near the Bois de Boulogne with the largest collection of Monet in the world, including Impression, Sunrise. It also has many works by Berthe Morisot.
One of the best Impressionist collections outside Paris, with one of Monet's paintings of Rouen Cathedral. Afterwards, walk to the real cathedral and compare.
Monet's pink house, his collection of Japanese prints and the famous green bridge over the water lily pond. Go early: the paths get busy.
A small museum in Vernon, a short ride from Giverny. Blanche was Monet's stepdaughter and his painting partner, and her own work is on show here.
It took place in the old studio of the photographer Nadar.
The real hair and tutu made her look so alive that some visitors were shocked.
He painted it more than 30 times to show how light changes the stone.