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The Judgment of Paris

The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism

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The Judgment of Paris

By: Ross King
Narrated by: Tristan Layton
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About this listen

 While the Civil War raged in America, another very different revolution was beginning to take shape across the Atlantic, in the studios of Paris. The artists who would make Impressionism the most popular art form in history were showing their first paintings amid scorn and derision from the French artistic establishment. Indeed, no artistic movement has ever been, at its inception, quite so controversial. The drama of its birth, played out on canvas, would at times resemble a battlefield. With a novelist's skill and the insight of a historian, Ross King reveals how Impressionism would reorder both history and culture as it resonated around the world.

A tale of many artists, The Judgment of Paris revolves around the lives of two, described as "the two poles of art": Ernest Meissonier, the most famous and successful painter of the 19th century, hailed for his precision and devotion to history; and Edouard Manet, reviled in his time, who nonetheless heralded the most radical change in the history of art since the Renaissance. Out of the most fascinating story of their parallel lives, illuminated by their legendary supporters and critics, King recalls a seminal period when Paris was the artistic center of the world, and a revolutionary art movement had the power to electrify and divide a nation.

©2006 Ross King; (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC Art Europe France

Critic reviews

"King is a master at linking pivotal moments in art history to epic rivalries....Supremely engaging and illuminating." (Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant
Absolutely loved this retelling of the birth of Impressionism. Thorough and perfectly paced. An all star cast (!!) with flawless narration by Tristan Layton. Loved the book title also!

Hugely Enjoyable!

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This is a fascinating story and was clearly researched carefully. But did we need EVERYTHING? There are catalogues of names and irrelevant digressions, which distract from the main thrust of the narrative. For example, Whistler visits Manet around 1864 and is unimpressed. Some great quotes, but did we really need a summary of other places Whistler visited and then a comparison between one of these and Whistler’s home back in London? There are dozens of other examples and where the author (or publisher) ought to have done some editing. A pity because the subject is a fascinating one with old and new worlds colliding.

Editor needed

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I loved it because I love the work of the impressionism and this audio took me back to that time.

Loved it

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Very well researched and fascinating story of the beginning of Impressionism captivating all the way through

Wonderfully dictated story

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An excellently researched and well written book which revisits the changes in attitude to French art at the end of the 19th century, carefully setting this complex period into context and showing how the transition from classical art to Impressionism is much more nuanced than the usual narrative surrounding this period of political and cultural change. Sadly, this audio book is ruined by a narrator who clearly cannot speak a word of French and manages to mispronounce almost every French word.

19th century French art re-examined

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