Between 1874 and 1880, Impressionist exhibitions were viciously attacked by the majority if critics who first visited them and, in spite of a few defenders (Castagnary, Duranty, Zola), artists like Manet, Degas or Monet were for a long time considered as anarchistic or insane. What were the chief accusations against their art and why did their images antagonise the French Bourgeoisie to the extent it did?
