I think this is really what I like about all of the Impressionists. Not so much the finished work, but the work to the finish. In particular, Degas’ command of the various media in which he works reveals a respect for the art….perhaps not so much his subject…..but the art.

We like to pat ourselves on the back for getting Cubism, since it is not universally admired yet – but you are so right, does the public doesn’t even see Impressionism as an avant-garde style anymore. It helps that our society has co-opted the renegade (they are just like us,we are all rebels!).

It was not that long ago (although a generation in the contemporary art world seems to feel like an eon) that it was Turner who got all the media attention for being the “most expensive” artist. How long before Picasso takes down Van Gogh?