"Whether it is Monet's families by the sea or Renoir's picnickers in the countryside, Manet's flaneurs strolling in parks or Degas's elegant racegoers, Morisot's opera enthusiasts or Caillebotte's oarsmen, the Impressionists all sought to capture the new world of recreation as well as enjoying a great deal of it themselves." "Featuring a broad and original selection of works as well as contemporary photographs and excerpts from diaries and letters, this book brings to life the many happy moments recorded in Impressionist paintings. It also documents the artists' own passions, from bustling bars and restaurants in Paris to tranquil days on the river, from ice rinks and markets to gardens and seaside holidays." "The book is an account of the new leisure society of the nineteenth century. It reaffirms the position of the Impressionists as the artists who best knew how to enjoy life, and should appeal to all who aspire to do likewise."--BOOK JACKET.