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Lot Essay
An exhibitor in seven of the eight Impressionist exhibitions, Morisot was one of the most important artists in the Impressionist group, bringing a unique female perspective to the movement. Both aspects of this artistic practice are present in Jeanne Gobillard au piano et Julie Manet, in which Morisot experiments with a fresh approach to the genre of portraiture, as seen through her personal lens of mother and artist. With dulcet pastel tones, she affectionately renders her beloved daughter, Julie Manet (1878–1966), smiling as she listens to her cousin Jeannie Gobillard (1877–1970) on the piano. The composition cleverly depicts the double-portrait in a very modern manner, capturing the young girls as they engage in an everyday activity of music practice, rather than having them pose formally. Their postures are natural and the scene is full of movement, allowing us a glimpse into their personal world. The present work is one of at least 12 she made for an oil painting of the same subject that would be painted the same year, however, rather exceptionally, the present work was only one rendered in pastel. Also captures a significant turning point in Morisot’s œuvre. It was at this moment that she began to experiment with more daring compositions that contained multiple figures, using them to explore the depiction of interpersonal dynamics and relationships, and indeed, the close relationship between the two sitters is evident from the work. They sit closely together in a warm, tender scene, and Julie, head in hand, rests her hand on her cousin’s chair as Jeannie plays for her.
Julie Manet, who would go on to be known as ‘The Last Impressionist’ and Jeannie Gobillard grew up side-by-side in intertwined branches of the Manet-Morisot family. Known as ‘the little Manets’, the pair were inseparable from a young age. The two had a unique upbringing at the heart of the Impressionist movement, and would often pose for Morisot and her Impressionist friends, who were some of the most famous and avant-garde artists of the day, such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Their deep friendship and bond would be further reinforced five years after the creation of Jeanne Gobillard au piano et Julie Manet, when Jeannie’s parents both passed away in 1893. Jeannie, who was only 16, alongside her two sisters, moved in with her aunt Morisot and her cousin Julie. These years together strengthened Julie’s and Jeannie’s relationship into one more akin to sisters. Tragically, similar misfortune struck the Morisot household, and Julie, who had already lost her father in 1892, also found herself orphaned in 1895, after Morisot passed away from pneumonia. Thereafter, the cousins resided together in the family home on the rue de Villejust, under the guardianship of their elder cousin Paule Gobillard. The Impressionist circle came together around the young women, offering guidance and support. Most notably, it was Renoir who took the cousins in the months after Morisot’s death, looking after them and giving them painting lessons in his summer home in Brittany. Edgar Degas, a close family friend, would also prove instrumental to Julie’s adult life, facilitating her introduction to the painter Ernest Rouart, who would later become her husband. The two cousins remained close their entire lives, even getting married in a joint ceremony in 1900, with Julie wedding Rouart and Jeannie marrying the poet Paul Valéry.
The love that is so evidently expressed by Morisot in this portrait was very much reciprocated by Julie. They were very close as mother and daughter, and Julie was devastated by her mother’s death, which came when she was only sixteen years old. Julie became instrumental in promoting her mother’s art. At just seventeen, she mounted an important retrospective of Morisot’s work, bringing together around 300 works in a very well received exhibition at the prestigious Galeries Durand-Ruel in Paris. Later, she would publish her teenage diary, offering her a glimpse into the world of the Parisian Impressionism as had never be seen before, and, she would actively contribute the compilation of the first catalogue raisonné of Morisot’s work. Julie was also very familiar personally with the first owner of Jeanne Gobillard au piano et Julie Manet, Charles Edwards Haviland, a manufacturer of porcelain who was well known in Impressionist circles. He was particularly close with Renoir, who advised him on purchases of artworks, showing the importance of personal relationships between the Impressionist artists and their collectors.
Julie Manet, who would go on to be known as ‘The Last Impressionist’ and Jeannie Gobillard grew up side-by-side in intertwined branches of the Manet-Morisot family. Known as ‘the little Manets’, the pair were inseparable from a young age. The two had a unique upbringing at the heart of the Impressionist movement, and would often pose for Morisot and her Impressionist friends, who were some of the most famous and avant-garde artists of the day, such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Their deep friendship and bond would be further reinforced five years after the creation of Jeanne Gobillard au piano et Julie Manet, when Jeannie’s parents both passed away in 1893. Jeannie, who was only 16, alongside her two sisters, moved in with her aunt Morisot and her cousin Julie. These years together strengthened Julie’s and Jeannie’s relationship into one more akin to sisters. Tragically, similar misfortune struck the Morisot household, and Julie, who had already lost her father in 1892, also found herself orphaned in 1895, after Morisot passed away from pneumonia. Thereafter, the cousins resided together in the family home on the rue de Villejust, under the guardianship of their elder cousin Paule Gobillard. The Impressionist circle came together around the young women, offering guidance and support. Most notably, it was Renoir who took the cousins in the months after Morisot’s death, looking after them and giving them painting lessons in his summer home in Brittany. Edgar Degas, a close family friend, would also prove instrumental to Julie’s adult life, facilitating her introduction to the painter Ernest Rouart, who would later become her husband. The two cousins remained close their entire lives, even getting married in a joint ceremony in 1900, with Julie wedding Rouart and Jeannie marrying the poet Paul Valéry.
The love that is so evidently expressed by Morisot in this portrait was very much reciprocated by Julie. They were very close as mother and daughter, and Julie was devastated by her mother’s death, which came when she was only sixteen years old. Julie became instrumental in promoting her mother’s art. At just seventeen, she mounted an important retrospective of Morisot’s work, bringing together around 300 works in a very well received exhibition at the prestigious Galeries Durand-Ruel in Paris. Later, she would publish her teenage diary, offering her a glimpse into the world of the Parisian Impressionism as had never be seen before, and, she would actively contribute the compilation of the first catalogue raisonné of Morisot’s work. Julie was also very familiar personally with the first owner of Jeanne Gobillard au piano et Julie Manet, Charles Edwards Haviland, a manufacturer of porcelain who was well known in Impressionist circles. He was particularly close with Renoir, who advised him on purchases of artworks, showing the importance of personal relationships between the Impressionist artists and their collectors.