Manet Paints Monet: A Summer in Argenteuil

In 1874, Manet made two unfinished paintings of Monet at work, painting from his perch on his floating studio in Argenteuil, France. Manet, vacationing nearby, took the opportunity to visit the younger painter, whose work he admired. Methodically and multidirectionally, Sauerländer makes his case for why this exchange between two era-defining artists is a significant one. Manet preferred human subjects over nature; however, he appreciated Monet’s en plein air style enough to quote it in his own paintings, to absorb it without truly adopting it, and to “play the two styles... against each other.” The Franco-Prussian war also plays a role in this narrative, as the art world reacts to it by twisting conceits such as the painter in his studio (albeit not often a floating one). The book is based on an academic lecture, but it’s nevertheless accessible to the enthusiast. At 80 pages it’s an amuse-bouche of a book, a brief but illuminating discussion of a moment in time. Color illus. [em](Dec.) [/em]