Author Description

A small, unspoiled town on the outskirts of Paris, Argenteuil became a hub of artistic activity during one of the most exciting periods in art history—the decade of the 1870s, when true impressionism was born. Drawn to Argenteuil in search of new inspiration, Claude Monet settled there in 1871. The beauty of the town and its proximity to Paris, along with the amiable presence of Monet himself, soon attracted other artists who found there the inspiration to create some of the most lyrical, dazzling, and progressive paintings of the day. This richly illustrated book explores the responses to Argenteuil of six influential painters in more than fifty of their works. With scenic vistas still unmarred by urban industrialization, Argenteuil in the 1870s was ideally suited to the experiments in plein-air effects that became the hallmark of classic impressionist works. Paul Hayes Tucker describes the lively artistic exchange that developed among Monet, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Caillebotte, Édouard Manet, Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley as they worked, often side by side, in and around the town. At Argenteuil, Tucker shows, the artists’ fascination with atmospheric effects, depictions of modern life, and dialogue with one another coalesced to produce a unique and revolutionary body of work.