The Real World of the Impressionists

“The singularity of Berthe Morisot was that she lived her painting and painted her life as if it were a natural and necessary function,”… this was the case with all the great Impressionists, for whom the habit of painting became second nature. For many of these artists, their work was the mainstay of their existence… These artists were able to create in the open air without losing a feeling of intimacy. Each artist coordinated [their] visual experiences with memories of friends’ and predecessors’ paintings. The painters’ exacting metaphysical anguish did not impede the joy of living, which was in the end only a profound need to survive,”

-The Real World of the Impressionists by Yann Lee Pichon