I’m something of an artist, but more than that, I love art,
I love looking at art, I love hearing the stories behind the art and the
artists who created the art.
So I was
very much looking forward to reading
I Always Loved You, which is described as
a romance between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas – something I had not even
realized existed.
(After reading the
book, still not sure it did exist, but more about that later.)
I’m not all that knowledgeable about the group of artists
known as the impressionists. My tastes
tend toward the Renaissance painters – Michelangelo and da Vinci, and then the
surrealists – Dali and Miro.
I never though much of the Impressionists when I was
younger, I thought their work was too pretty – gorgeous landscapes and beautiful
portraits.
I didn’t understand all
these artists went through before they reached a point in which almost every
home in the world owns at least one Monet or Renoir print.
I don’t think I fully appreciated the
Impressionists until I visited the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and saw so much of
the work on display together.
Seeing
the work in person, it’s impossible to not appreciate the effort that went into
these paintings, an attempt to paint the light, to capture the moment, bodies
at rest or in motion – not carefully and prettily posed.
Before I read this book, I knew that Mary Cassatt was an
American who was best known for painting pictures of mothers and children,
despite never marrying or having children of her own. I knew that Degas painted ballerinas. I knew that Manet is the artist who painted the picture of fully
clothes men having a picnic while a nude woman sat with them. I Always Loved You brings to life the stories
of the people associated with those familiar names and works of art.
I’ve Always Loved You is the story of those artists –
Cassatt, Degas, Manet, Berthe Morisot, and to some extent Camille Pissaro,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Gustave Caillebotte, who financed everything to keep his
friends from starving for their love of art.
In this novel, Robin Oliveira captures a time when the work of these
artists was trashed by critics and called lazy, strange and ugly – all because
they were trying something new and different.
People had never seen art like this and they didn’t quite know what to
think about it. These artists were no
longer following the rules, they weren’t catering to the Salon – though a few
in their group were still trying to get accepted into the Paris Salon, in hopes
of changing the way art was viewed from the highest levels.
This is the story
of their struggles as they staged their independent exhibitions and the
internal battles as these tempermental personalities clashed frequently, as
well their small gradual successes that eventually led to them no longer being
the “other” artists. They had no
guarantee of success, most of them were struggling financially, barely able to
pay the rent or even eat on a regular basis.
But eventually their hard work paid off, most of them saw great success,
eventually living comfortable lives.
Because of their persistence, their art became the art people wanted to
see. They changed the art world. Now their work hangs in museums all over the
world, and long after their deaths we know their names and recognize the
pictures they painted.
Oliveira kept their story interesting, focusing on the
aspects of their life that affected their art, as well as how art affected
their personal lives.
What this story
isn’t though is a love story between two people, which is what I was initially
expecting. If a reader embarks on this
book expecting a passionate romance between Cassatt and Degas, I feel they
might be disappointed. The two have a
close friendship, there’s some flirting, teasing, it’s hinted that more may be
wanted from each, but it never develops into much – at least not in my
opinion. The great love story that
exists within these pages is that between and artists and art.
As an artist, I especially loved reading about the mental
process of these artists. Their ideas
about color and line and light bring their work to life. I felt that Oliveira captured that very
well, providing insight to people who may not be familiar with painting and how
much thought goes into the work. Seeing
with the heart is how Degas explains it.
I could also relate to their fears and doubts about their ideas and
abilities. And as a woman, who learned
early on that I lack the ability to give the necessary attention to both my
work and my relationships, I could relate too well to Mary Cassatt’s struggle
to choose art over love. She knew that
when she was involved with someone, thinking of him, that her work
suffered. She had to decide what
mattered more, art that would last forever or a man she could never entirely
trust. I don’t know how historically
accurate any of this was. As I said,
I’d never heard of a romance between Cassatt and Degas, but these are also
people I’ve not studied extensively. It
is certainly an interesting idea though and I enjoyed reading it.
I really liked this book and consider it a must read for
anyone who has any interest in art history and the people behind the paintings
that are now so familiar to us.
This book will be released on February 4, 2014. I received a review copy via NetGalley.
Instead this was more about a woman, Tracy, trying to save her marriage, or maybe escape her marriage. Escape is how I viewed it in the beginning. She had a job in New York City, and wanted to be near her job, while her husband was working as a small town mayor in Connecticut. For someone like me, New York City seems like the obvious choice. If you have the opportunity to live there, who wouldn't? Maybe that's just me. 
