In this engrossing book, Hollis Clayson provides the first description and analysis of French artistic interest in women prostitutes, examining how the subject was treated in the art of the 1870s and 1880s by such avant-garde painters as Cézanne, Degas, Manet, and Renoir, as well as by the academic and low-brow painters who were their contemporaries. Clayson not only illuminates the imagery of prostitution-with its contradictory connotations of disgust and fascination-but also tackles the issues and problems relevant to women and men in a patriarchal society. She discusses the conspicuous sexual commerce during this era and the resulting public panic about the deterioration of social life and civilized mores. She describes the system that evolved out of regulating prostitutes and the subsequent rise of clandestine prostitutes who escaped police regulation and who were condemned both for blurring social boundaries and for spreading sexual licentiousness among their moral and social superiors. Clayson argues that the subject of covert prostitution was especially attractive to vanguard painters because it exemplified the commercialization and the ambiguity of modern life.

The authors, Danielle Kisluk-Grosheide and Jeffrey Munger, are curators in the Metropolitan Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. They oversaw the recent reinstallation of the Wrightsman Galleries --Book Jacket.

22nd. edition, 1995-/96

Master the words and phrases necessary for handling everyday situations Practice Makes Perfect: French Vocabulary helps you develop your vocabulary by providing practice in word-building and encouraging you to analyze new words for an ever-increasing vocabulary. Each chapter of this comprehensive book focuses on a theme, such as family or travel, so you can build your language skills in a systematic manner. As you lay the foundation for an increasing vocabulary, you are able to perfect your new words with plenty of exercises and gain the confidence to communicate well in French. Practice Makes Perfect: French Vocabulary offers you: More than 120 exercises Concise grammatical explanations A new chapter on contemporary vocabulary An answer key to gauge your comprehension With help from this book, you can easily speak or write in French about: Different occupations and jobs * French holidays and traditions * Taking the train * Growing your own garden * Where it hurts on your body * Your house * Your family and friends * What you studied in school * Your favorite TV show * Your family's background . . . and much more!