Berthe Morisot - The Beach at Nice 1882
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The Beach at Nice 1882
46x56cm oil/canvas
Private collection
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From Sotheby's:
Shown in the 7th Impressionist group exhibition in 1882, Plage de Nice ranks among Morisot's definitive compositions. This exquisite picture was completed in early 1882, when Morisot, her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julie were vacationing at the Hôtel Richemont in Nice. The motif for this painting was initially conceived on site, as Morisot watched over little Julie playing in the sand, but it was most likely completed in the artist's room since the wind made it impossible for her to work consistently outdoors. The rapidity of the brushwork in this picture, which is the only figure painting completed during her time in Nice, evokes these windy conditions and the icy chill of seaside air. Morisot's soft-focus on the central elements of her composition was a daring departure from her mentor and brother-in-law Edouard Manet's representation of beach frolickers, but this innovative new style came to be regarded as the definining aesthetic among the original Impressionist group.