Dunstan, Bernard. Painting Methods of the Impressionists. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1983.
I found this book very interesting and informative. It is filled with observations and studies of how the Impressionists and their predecessors handled paints, brushes, palettes, and canvas. The text examples are accompanied by artworks from the artists mentioned.
Included with explanations of the working methods of Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and Cassatt, there are also many other artists mentioned in the book. These artists were connected to the Impressionists in some way. Some earlier artists included in the book are John Constable, J.M.W. Turner, Edouard Manet, and Gustave Courbet. These artists were the predecessors of Impressionism. Other artists mentioned are Sargent, Vuillard, Bonnard, Sickert, and Whistler who were not directly connected to the Impressionists, but were influenced by their methods and theories.
Many descriptions are well documented and very interesting to read. The following is a description by E.V. Rippingille of Turner's method of working on a late canvas after it was accepted and hung in the Royal Academy. Turner would work on these canvases on certain days called "varnishing days". Rippingille writes,
For three hours I was there. . . he never ceased to work, or even once looked or turned from the wall in which his picture was hung. A small box of colors, a few very small brushes, and a vial or two, were at his feet. . . In one part of the mysterious preceedings Turner, who worked almost entirely with his palette knife, was observed to be rolling and spreading a half-tranparent stuff over his picture, the size of a finger in length and thickness. As Callcott was looking on I ventured to say.... 'What is that he is plastering his picture with?' to which enquiry it was replied, ' should be sorry to be the man to ask him'.... Presently the work was finished: Turner gathered his tools together, put them into and shut the box, and then with his face still turned to wall, and at the same distance from it, went sidelong off, without speaking a word to anybody. . . Maclise, who stood near, remarked, 'There, that's masterly, he does not stop to look at his work; he knows it is done, and he is off!'
The entire book is filled with accounts of many artist's working methods, like Turner's mentioned above. There are also many detailed descriptions of how the artists worked from close examination of their artworks. Again, I found this book very informative and will make it an addition to my art reference library.