Berthe Morisot, The Artist’s Daughter with a Parakeet, 1890, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Title: The Artist’s Daughter with a Parakeet, 1890
Artist: Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)
FAST FACTS: Born January 14, 1841 in Bourges, France, although spent most of her life in Passy, a suburb of Paris. Father a senior government official, mother descendent of Rococo painter, Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806). Both Berthe and her sister Edma studied art–among their teachers was master Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875), often considered influential to the development of the Impressionists. Edma basically gave up painting after her marriage, but Berthe continued her career until her death.
Morisot and artistic innovator Edouard Manet (1832-1883) were close, both artistically and personally, resulting in some eleven portraits of Berthe by the older artist. Morisot wed Eugene Manet, Edouard’s brother in 1874, they had one daughter Julie, born in 1878.
Morisot was a member of the core group of the Impressionists, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, and Cassatt. She participated in every one of their joint exhibitions except in 1879 after the birth of Julie. Morisot, like Cassatt, is known for her domestic themes, especially centering on her family including her sisters and their children as well as Julie. Morisot died in 1895 at the age of 54.
In the public domain, courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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