It is always a delightful surprise whenever I get to discover artists and painters that are completely new to me, especially when I am utterly enthralled by their work. This is the case with James Tissot, a very recent find for me after chancing upon one of his paintings posted on my twitter stream.
James Tissot’s work is really fascinating because it encompasses several different art movements and styles, all of which I love; early Impressionism, Realism as well as Academic art ( William Bouguereau / Lawrence Alma Tadema ).
Book publisher synopsis – This book explores James Tissot’s multifaceted career and provides a fresh perspective on the 19th-century French painter.
James Tissot is best known for his paintings of fashionable women and society life in the late 19th century. Born in Nantes, France, he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he befriended James McNeill Whistler and Edgar Degas.
Tissot’s career defies categorization and he never formally belonged to the Impressionist circle despite an invitation from Degas. An astute businessman, Tissot garnered commercial and critical success on both sides of the English Channel while defying traditional conventions. He received recognition at the time from patrons and peers, and even his society portraits reveal a rich and complex commentary on Victorian and fin-de-siècle culture.
This lavishly illustrated book, featuring paintings, enamels, and works on paper, explores Tissot’s life and career from his early period in Nantes to his later years when he made hundreds of spiritual and religious works. The volume also includes essays that introduce new scholarship to redefine Tissot’s placement within the narratives of the 19th-century canon.
This large hardcover volume is a perfect primer for a James Tissot newbie like me. The reproductions are beautiful and with over 300 pages of art work collected, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in his gorgeous paintings. Recommended.
“James Tissot” art book details :
– Dimensions – 9.81 x 1.45 x 12.31 inches
– Hardcover, 320 pages
– Full color
Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
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April 20th, 2025 at 10:42 pm
Nice, it’s a long time I wanted to buy a new book about Tissot’s work and this one seems full of paintings.
April 21st, 2025 at 7:46 am
One of my favorite 19th century artists, along with Alma-Tadema and John William Waterhouse. I’m definitely grabbing this if I can find it used or on sale. Thanks for showcasing this!
Have you read Fred Ross’s essay “The Great 20th Century Art Scam?”
By the way, have you made any changes to your website’s backend? The rss feed doesn’t seem to be working anymore.
April 22nd, 2025 at 6:23 pm
Great recommendation! I ordered the book right away. Thanks mate!
April 23rd, 2025 at 4:14 pm
Li-An – Yes, it’s a really good collection of paintings, beautiful reproductions. Highly recommended !
Doctor Blood – Same here, I love the work of JW Waterhouse and Alma-Tadema; most of the Pre-Raphaelite painters as well.
I googled Fred Ross’s essay, it’s fascinating. It is the first time I’ve read about this, but now I’m intrigued. Thanks for the information.
I’ve had some technical issues with my wordpress backend indeed, but I hope it is resolved now. Can you kindly tell me if the RSS is working again ?
Ralf – You’re most welcomed, glad you like it !
April 23rd, 2025 at 5:27 pm
yonghow – I’m getting updates for the site on my feed reader again!
It’s crazy how far out of fashion Alma-Tadema fell – the creator of the American TV show ‘Candid Camera’ was able to buy 35 of his paintings, sometime for just a few hundred dollars a piece, in just a few years. His works now go for tens of millions of dollars at auctions.
It’s astounding to realize how few people were familiar with these 19th century artists just a few decades ago. I know a professional portraitist that studied at a very respected school in Texas, and he graduated without ever hearing of William-Adolphe Bouguereau! He just so happened to be visiting a gallery that was showcasing Bouguereau’s ‘Nymphs and Satyr’, and he was struck dumb and paralyzed in front of it for a good half an hour. (This is a 179.8 x 260 cm painting, and it’s even more striking in person.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphs_and_Satyr
He realized his degree was a joke if they weren’t covering artists like this. Can imagine an English major who got a degree without hearing of John Milton?
Thankfully, their reputations have been on the mend thanks to the dedicated efforts of a number of art critics, artists, and preservationists.
Looking forward to your next artbook review!
(Also forgot about my other favorite artist of this period – Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl. Check out ‘The Souls of Acheron’ – The real thing is 215 x 340 cm!)