![](https://watermill.net/millblog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Pierre-Auguste-Renoir-Portret-de-Julie-Manet-1894-Musee-Marmottan-Monet-Paris-France..jpg)
This wistful teenager above, painted among others by Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot was at the beating heart of French Impressionism at the end of the 19th century.
Her name is Julie Manet, and I must confess I never heard of her until an article this week by Pola Otterstein in an edition of the online DailyArt magazine.
The daughter of Berthe Morisot and Eugene Manet, Édouard’s brother, she was painted all her life, as well as writing a memoir with stories about her family and other famous Impressionists such as Claude Monet and Edgar Dégas. It was fascinating to read more about her, as I have long been intrigued by the relationship between Édouard Manet, perhaps the greatest of them, all although he never called himself an Impressionist, and his sister-in-law Berthe Morisot, the best-known female in the group. She was Édouard’s muse and although there was no overt impropriety, I think his picture shows that he was in love with her, particularly the famous ‘Berthe Morisot with a bunch of violets,’ is which shines out in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. To my mind this affectionate, attractive, mischievous portrait is a painting by a man in love.
![](https://watermill.net/millblog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Berthe-Morisot-close-up.jpg)
But back to our subject, Julie Manet, Edouard’s niece
![](https://watermill.net/millblog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Berthe-Morisot-Julie-Manet-and-her-nurse-1880-Ny-Carlsberg-Glyptotek-Copenhagen-Denmark.-486x600.jpg)
In her vignette, Pola Otterstein says: “The beautiful Julie Manet was painted from the first moments she came into the world by her mother, who quite often painted children. Both Morisot and her brother-in-law Édouard Manet continued portraying Julie throughout her childhood and early years as a teenager.
Julie had a beautiful upbringing, surrounded by great artists. Even after the untimely death of her parents when she became an orphan at the age of 16, she did not step out of the scene and continued posing for Pierre-August Renoir, amongst others.”
![](https://watermill.net/millblog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Julie-Manet-dreaming-506x600.jpg)
You can read Pola’s article and see more pictures of Julie by clicking here.
I hope you enjoy this blog and like hearing a little more about the life and times of famous artists, you can enjoy similar conversation during a week-long painting course at the Watermill, in the convivial company of like-minded people. Add to that inspiring tuition, warm hospitality, spectacular settings and delicious food and wine, and you can see why so many people think a Watermill holiday is the most unforgettable artistic week they will ever spend. We still have a few places left for this year and bookings are flowing in for 2023. So come and join us and stimulate your own artistic talent. We would love to welcome you here.
![](https://watermill.net/millblog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Brienne-courtyard.jpg)