Description

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2024
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2024
One of The Boston Globe’s “20 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall”
A Next Big Idea Club “Must-Read Book for September 2024”

Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee delivers a riveting account of the turbulent period in Paris known as the “Terrible Year” and its significant influence on the emergence of Impressionism.

Between the summer of 1870 and the spring of 1871, Paris was engulfed in turmoil. The city endured a brutal siege by German forces, leading to starvation and eventual surrender. Soon after, radical republicans established the Paris Commune, which was ultimately crushed by the French Army in a wave of violent street battles and devastating fires. Amid this chaos, the Impressionist movement began to take shape, its artists deeply affected by the political upheaval and destruction surrounding them.

Smee brings this dramatic history to life through the experiences of key figures in Impressionism. Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas remained in Paris during the siege, entangled in the city’s fraught political climate. Meanwhile, Pierre-August Renoir and Frédéric Bazille joined military regiments outside the capital, and Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro managed to escape abroad. In the wake of these events, Impressionist artists developed a heightened awareness of life’s fragility, an insight that would define their work. Their focus on fleeting light, shifting seasons, and ephemeral street scenes became a hallmark of the movement and a lasting contribution to art history.

At the center of this story is a poignant love affair—Manet, widely regarded as the leader of Impressionism, and Morisot, the only woman to play a central role in the movement from its inception. Smee explores their complex and deeply influential relationship, shedding new light on Morisot’s vital but often overlooked place in the history of art.

Engaging and insightful, Paris in Ruins captures the volatile intersection of politics and creativity, revealing how the siege and the Commune shaped the course of modern art. It is a powerful testament to the resilience of artistic vision in the face of hardship and destruction.

Includes an eight-page image insert with 20 color illustrations.