Renoir , My Father by Jean Renior

Just completed this book by Jean Renoir on his father.  I found somewhat cumbersome since he covered many details of  Renoir .  Such as neighbors, friends, however in a way of really remembrance.  I was hoping to read on how  Renoir went about his paintings and his life in general but I found to much information on others that cared for.

Book worth the read

Impressionist Quartet: The Intimate Genius of Manet and Morisot, Degas and Cassatt:  Author Jeffery Meyers

Just completed this book and it brings out wonderful detail on the inner circles of the impressionists and how they worked and socialized with each other. Enjoyed ready how Manet had a inner passion for Bertha Morisot, however being himself married did not bring it further. However, he did convince her to marry his brother so that she would be close to the family and that she did. She had strong feelings for Manet and found being close to him was sufficient.Degas was an interesting personality that at times was difficult to understand. His relation with the others and Cassatt is by far a wonderful experience.

 Sal Valenti

Recommended Books on Impressionism and the French Impressionists

•  Recommended Books on Impressionism and the French Impressionists by Shelley Esaak

 

•  Herbert, Robert L. Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society.
  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988.
  ISBN-10: 0300042620
  ISBN-13: 978-0300042627
  A lively, engaging read on how the architectural, civic and societal innovations of mid-to-late 19th-century Paris aided in the formation and development of Impressionism. More a social than an art historic approach, which I, for one, found rather refreshing in a steady diet of the latter.
  
• Roe, Sue. The Private Lives of the Impressionists.
  New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
  ISBN-10: 0060545585
  ISBN-13: 978-0060545581 I loved that this book presented the French Impressionists as a group (rather than concentrating on one specific artist), with all the funky dynamics - friendship, rivalry, poverty, wealth, varying social statuses, "office" romances and clashing political views - that any group contains. Well-written and researched, and highly entertaining (read: a gossip lover's treat).
  
• Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception.
  London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 2000.
  ISBN-10: 0500203350
  ISBN-13: 978-0500203354
  Though not exactly light reading, this informative volume pulls together recent scholarship on primary source documents from and concerning the original French Impressionists, and presents all in context.

Recommended Books/Publications

•   Recommended Books on Impressionism and the French Impressionists by Shelley Esaak
•  Mauclair, Camille; P. G. Konady, trans.

         The French Impressionists (1860-1900).         London: Duckworth & Co.; New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1903.

• Nochlin, Linda (ed.). Impressionism and Post-Impressionism 1874-1904: Sources and Documents.

         Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1966.
        ISBN-10: 0134520033
        ISBN-13: 978-0134520032

• Rewald, John. History of Impressionism. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1973 (4th rev. ed.).
  ISBN-10: 0810960354
  ISBN-13: 978-0810960350
  First published in 1946, this is the classic academic text on Impressionism. Nearly encyclopedic in scope, it is worth owning for its bibliography alone.
  

• White, Harrison C., & Cynthia A. White.
  Canvases and Careers: Institutional Change in the French Painting World.
  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993 (Reprint ed.).
  ISBN-10: 0226894878
  ISBN-13: 978-0226894874
  The original edition, published in 1965, was a groundbreaking survey covering how the Académie des Beaux Arts lost its power to individual French artists, artist groups, dealers and critics in 19th-century Paris. Still fresh today, the reprint edition includes an afterword containing more recent scholarship.

Good Reference on Impressionism

Check out this book: Impressionism (Selections from five American Museums) Hudson Hill Press

Great photos on artwork from the Masters along with detail description.

Some great books on French Impressionism

I suggest you check out some these books on French Impressionism.

Claude & Camille - A novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell
I am currently reading this and it is wonderful. The author brings life to Monet and his everyday life style.

The Great Book of French Impressionism - Diane Kelder
This is a must have for the true collector. The book covers all French Impressionists and plenty of their works.