Berthe Morisot Biography and Artwork

Berthe Morisot was a French painter and printmaker born in Bourges, France in 1841. She came from a well-off family and received private art lessons from French painter Joseph Guichard. In 1864, she exhibited her work for the first time at the Salon de Paris.

Morisot was one of the “les trois grandes dames” of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. She had a close artistic relationship with Edouard Manet and later married his brother Eugene Manet. Despite facing significant challenges throughout her life as a female artist, Morisot left behind an important career.

Some of her most influential artworks include “The Harbor at Lorient” and “The Cage”, showing her mastery of capturing light and reflections on water surfaces in outdoor scenes. It is worth noting that Berthe Morisot’s work differentiated itself slightly from that of other Impressionists considering the subject matter she chose to depict; mostly intimate domestic interiors or candid glimpses into people’s everyday lives.

Today, Berthe Morisot’s legacy lives on as a pioneer for women artists during the male-dominated 19th-century art world. Her contribution to the Impressionist movement demonstrated that women could create high caliber artworks while bringing more diverse perspectives into play; challenging assumptions about what subjects were deemed worthy enough for fine arts representation beyond all-white wealthy European crowds who often found themselves depicted instead of depicted upon by women artists at this moment in history.

All Berthe Morisot Artwork on Artchive