Berthe Morisot first met painter Edouard Manet in 1868 when they were introduced by yet another painter and mutual acquaintance, Henri Fantin-Latour. Manet was admired by his fellow artists but had scandalized the more conservative Paris art world with the blasé nudity of his Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia paintings. Morisot, nine years younger than Manet and then 27, had been studying art for several years and had exhibited her own paintings, but she realized that Manet’s strong brushwork and unusual perspective could influence her in a positive way.
Muse and Colleague
Morisot did not officially study with Manet but instead befriended him in an artistic and personal sense. She also posed for several paintings by Manet, who clearly found her to be a fascinating subject. Rather than being a quietly accommodating model, however, Morisot would reject Manet’s strong-willed suggestions when she felt they were wrong, and she also encouraged Manet to work more outdoors in natural light – a technique she had learned while studying with the great French landscape artist Camille Corot.
Furthermore, Morisot ignored Manet’s advice to the contrary and maintained her loyalty to her Impressionist friends such as Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, who had asked her to join their group. Although Manet interacted socially with the Impressionists and adopted some of their ideas, he did not exhibit with them or become one of their formal members.
Manet was an intense man known for his rebellious attitudes. And as a 19th century male artist with more experience than Morisot, he still often continued to insist that he knew better. In one instance, Morisot had been critiquing her own painting (The Mother and Sister of The Artist), and Manet assumed that this meant she wanted him to “fix” the work. To Berthe's total exasperation, he repainted a large part of the canvas himself before submitting it for exhibit at the 1870 Paris Salon.
Marriage to Another Manet
In 1874, Berthe married Manet’s brother Eugène and became Edouard’s sister-in-law. Edouard himself was already married, and while there is speculation that Berthe and Edouard may have shared romantic feelings, they maintained their partnerships with others. Eugène was supportive of Berthe’s career and encouraged her to continue to paint and exhibit her work. Berthe and Eugène had one child in 1878, a daughter named Julie, and Julie would ultimately become one of her mother’s favorite subjects. Like her female Impressionist colleague American Mary Cassatt, Morisot focused on painting what she encountered in her immediate world, such as scenes of domesticity or interiors and still lifes. However, Berthe Morisot’s confident use of strong color and line show how she took Edouard Manet’s influence and made it her own.
Later Years and Legacy
Morisot was naturally quite saddened by the death of her artistic companion and brother-in-law Edouard in 1883. Her husband Eugène's passing in 1892 was another great loss, but Berthe kept on painting and by the time of her own death in 1895, she had completed 860 works throughout her life. Berthe Morisot’s death was brought about by a severe case of pneumonia that she had caught while nursing her daughter Julie back to health from a similar illness. Julie, who had been one of her mother’s greatest muses, also made it her mission to promote the works of Berthe Morisot, to keep her from being overlooked. Berthe was buried at a Paris cemetery in the family plot, next to her husband and Edouard Manet.
Sources
- Berthe Morisot Biography -- The Speed Art Museum
- Impressionist Quartet: The Intimate Genius of Manet and Morisot, Degas and Cassatt -- Book Review, San Diego Union-Tribune
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