The Judgment of Paris

With the skill of a novelist and the insight of a historian, bestselling author Ross King recounts the events of a decade in which the French capital witnessed a true revolution in the world of the arts.

From 1863 to 1874, France experienced a violent and turbulent period, marked by conflicts such as the Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris, but also by another whose main stage was the salons where painters exhibited their new works. Instead of depicting historical battles, heroic figures, or remaining faithful to political upheavals, a group of artists began to dedicate themselves to depicting the common man, his customs, clothing, and daily life, forming the foundations of what we now know as Impressionism. *The Judgment of Paris *, Ross King's vivid account of the movement's emergence and rise, explores its key events, conflicts, and central figures through a narrative replete with complex plots, storylines, and contradictory characters.

The Judgment of Paris , whose original title is a pun on the mythological beauty contest between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite—judged by Paris—chronicles the period between two art exhibitions: the scandalous Salon des Refusés of 1863 and the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874. King offers a fascinating account of the interaction between artists, art juries, critics, and the general public surrounding the annual and prestigious Paris Salon and other events in the art world. The parallel careers of two radically opposite painters serve as a lens through which to understand their times: while the traditional and prestigious Ernest Meissonier valued the representation of historical moments with meticulous precision, the avant-garde Édouard Manet, with an appreciation for his own style, turned to landscapes and ordinary people, initiating a true revolution in art history.