They were mostly born in the middle of the July Monarchy. To say that they come from all walks of life would be abusive: sons of families predominate, descendants of an enlightened bourgeoisie. Finally, they paint, like so many others in Paris in this convulsive 19th century punctuated by insurrectional outbreaks and technical upheavals. But they paint outside, far from the strict atmosphere of large workshops and the control of masters. Their paintings are luminous. We could almost feel the texture of the atmosphere, its silkiness. The touch is quick, lively –
“sloppy”,
say their detractors. What matters to them is the fleeting impression that comes to them when faced with the motif, and, more than concrete reality, the subjective sensation and its immediacy. Their names ? Degas, Renoir, Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, as well as a young woman of great character, Berthe Morisot.
A productive companionship
This generation does not form a school, not yet, but it scrupulously cultivates a kind of companionship...