Description

Pulitzer-winner Sebastian Smee relives the remarkable birth of Impressionism from the ashes of war

Paris, January 1871 – the final, agonising days of the Franco-Prussian War. As the German army cements its advantage, shells rattle through the Left Bank. It is a bitterly cold winter; there is no fuel, no medicine, no food. The city’s poorer citizens have long turned to eating rats, cats and dogs. France has been brought to its knees.

Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas are trapped in the besieged city. Renoir and Bazille have joined regiments outside of Paris, while Monet and Pissarro fled the country just in time. Out of the Siege and the Commune, these artists developed a newfound sense of the fragility of life. A feeling for transience – reflected in Impressionism’s emphasis on fugitive light, shifting seasons, glimpsed street scenes, and the impermanence of all things – would change art history forever.

This is the extraordinary account of the ‘Terrible Year’ in Paris and its monumental impact on the rise of Impressionism.

Publisher Review

‘Sebastian Smee takes us on an enthralling journey through Paris’s ‘Terrible Year’, featuring the vivid characters and fast-moving plot of a novel. Paris in Ruins intertwines politics and warfare with the compelling personal stories of two great artists, beautifully revealing how the brilliance of Impressionism emerged from a backdrop of tragedy and violence.’ -Ross King, author of Mad Enchantment ‘Sebastian Smee explodes a tired chestnut about the Impressionists: that their works are merely pretty. Like a restorer scraping off layers of grime and dust, he restores colour and nuance and light, and performs the vital critical task of forcing us to look better and deeper at things we thought we already knew.’ -Benjamin Moser, author of Sontag ‘Sebastian Smee brings a fresh eye – the eye of the art critic and historian – to develop entirely new perspectives. The drama of the siege reads like a cliffhanger even though you know what’s going to happen. Beautifully written, with a novelist’s timing.’ -Andrew Hussey, author of Paris: The Secret History ‘Smee vividly conveys the terror of the times, the tense military standoffs and plotting, and the inflamed passions… his depiction of impressionists’ works is discerning, as is his sensitivity to the complicated relationships among the artists. Deft, vibrant cultural history.’ -Kirkus