 |
| "Lilacs in a Window" Mary Cassatt, 1879 |
Up now at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond: "Van Gogh, Manet,and Matisse: The Art of the Flower". I recently saw the exhibit, and was impressed with its breadth. There were masterworks from museums such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It's definitely worth a detour to catch this one. One might ask, "How many pictures of flowers can a person look at in one show??". No problem for me--the subject matter is not so important, because
I am looking at the paint, not the flowers. The exhibit could be the basis of an art history lesson told exclusively through French floral still lifes. It starts in an ante-room with some 18th century paintings--very formal, finely detailed, highly finished, with minute botanical details. These reminded me of the old Dutch masters. Here's an example:
From there, we move forward toward Impressionism, and beyond. There are several wonderful works by Henri Fantin-Latour. In these, you can see some early seeds of Impressionism.
The 1870's and 1880's brought a full flowering (ha!) of Impressionism in France. Many of the great masters of this period are represented in the exhibit. No more elaborate arrangements--these paintings show little bouquets that could have been picked right from the artists' gardens. It is amazing to see the simple subject matter, bright colors, and emphasis on light rather than subject matter detail. Quite a contrast to the painters who preceded them. Here are two of my favorites:
I am looking at the paint, not the flowers. The exhibit could be the basis of an art history lesson told exclusively through French floral still lifes. It starts in an ante-room with some 18th century paintings--very formal, finely detailed, highly finished, with minute botanical details. These reminded me of the old Dutch masters. Here's an example:
 |
| "Flowers in a Chantilly Vase" Louis Tessier, 1760 |
 |
| "Engagement Still Life" Henri Fantin-Latour, 1869 |
 |
| "Flowers in a Crystal Vase" Edouard Manet, 1882 |
 |
| "The Blue Vase" Paul Cezanne, 1889-90 |
We move into post-Imressionism with Vincent van Gogh. His very thick, impasto paint strokes are a wonder to behold. It was fun to see his floral works beyond just the sunflowers for which he has become famous.
Finally, we reach the 20th century. Paintings by Matisse and Bonnard show us abstraction and color, and approach to painting that would have been hard to imagine by the painters whose works hang in the first room. It's all a feast for the eyes. You still have time to get there--the exhibit hangs until June 21.
 |
| "Daisies, Arles" Vincent van Gogh, 1890 |
 |
| "Vase of Flowers" Vincent van Gogh, 1890 |
 |
| "Flowers" Henri Matisse, 1906 |
 |
| "Pitcher with Flowers" Pierre Bonnard, 1935 |
No comments:
Post a Comment