IMPRESSIONISTS' FLOWER PAINTINGS

During the early years of their careers the Impressionists painted many still life paintings. Still life paintings were easy and inexpensive: no need to pay a model to pose. One of the Impressionists' favorite still life subjects was flowers. All of these paintings were part of the exhibition I recently saw at the National Gallery of Art, Frédéric Bazille and The Birth of Impressionism. The flowers are so beautiful you just want to pick them out of the paintings and smell them!

Claude Monet: Spring Flowers (1864)

Henri Fantin-Latour: Pansies (1874)

Gustave Courbet: Vase of Flowers (1862)

Édouard Manet: Peony Stem and Shears (1864)

Auguste Renoir: Still Life with Spring Flowers (1864)

And all these by Bazille himself:

Flowers (1870)

Vase of Flowers on a Console (1867-1868)

Potted Flowers or Flower Study (1866)

 
Young Woman with Peonies (1870)

In the next post I'll show more masterpieces from the exhibition Frédéric Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism, specifically more of the paintings by Bazille himself. 

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets NW along Constitution Avenue. The entrance to the East Building is on 4th Street NW.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me.  Unauthorized use is prohibited.

THE ONLY DA VINCI IN THE AMERICAS

As I discussed in my last post, the philanthropy of the Mellon family continued with both of Andrew Mellon's children donating both works of art and funds to purchase art for the museum.

Ailsa Mellon Bruce's financial contributions allowed the museum to purchase many Old Masters, including what is currently the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci on display outside Europe. The painting was purchased for the museum from Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein in 1967.

Ginevra de’ Benci (1474/1478) by Leonardo da Vinci

Other masterpieces purchased directly by the museum thanks to the generosity of Ailsa Mellon Bruce include:

Portrait of a Merchant (1530) by Jan Gossaert

Works of art that she donated to the museum include:

The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil (1880) by Claude Monet

The Artist's Garden at Eragny (1898) by Camille Pissarro

Pont Neuf, Paris (1872) by Auguste Renoir

Riverbank (1895) by Paul Cézanne

Young Spanish Woman with a Guitar (1898) by Auguste Renoir

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

ART IN A "MAGNIFIQUE" SETTING

I was watching the new Rick Steves episode on Paris, and I realized I had never done a blog post on my visit to the Musée d'Orsay.  WOW!  Me, a lover of Impressionist art, and I completely forgot about this museum.

The Musée d'Orsay was installed in the old Orsay railroad station and hotel which had been built for the 1900 World's Fair.  After 1939, the station's platforms had become too short for the longer trains that had come into service.  The station then was used as a mailing center during World War II and several times as a movie set. The hotel closed in 1973, and the building was threatened with demolition.  In 1975, the idea came about to install a new museum in the train station, and in 1977, the decision was made to create the Musée d'Orsay. The building was deemed a national monument in 1978 and the museum was officially opened on December 9, 1986.
 

I recently read on the museum's website that they have changed their policy regarding photography:

In the interests of the safety of works and visitors, and to ensure a more pleasurable visit, photography and filming are no longer allowed in the museum galleries. This measure has been introduced in view of the increased number of visitors taking photographs “at arm’s length” using mobile phones.

Luckily, my visit to Paris was in 2006 was when photography was still permitted.
Photos: www.musee-orsay.fr

The photos above (courtesy of the Museé d'Orsay website) show Gare d'Orsay.  Does it seem possible from my photo below that railroad tracks once ran through these galleries?

The beautiful ornate station clock still hangs in the same approximate place.

 

The idea of the Musée d'Orsay was to house works of art from the second half of the 19th century to 1914, basically bridging the gap between the Louvre and the modern art museum at the Pompidou Center.

Of course the Impressionists are a highlight.  Let's start with some painted before the term Impressionism was even coined.

You might automatically think Claude Monet when you first see this painting, but it was actually painted by a French artist named Armand Guillaumin.

Chemin Creux, Effet de Neige (1869) by Armand Guillaumin

  






























There are currently 88 works by Monet in the museum.  Here are some earlier works:

Régates à Argenteuil (1872) by Claude Monet

Le Déjeuner : Panneau Décoratif (1873) by Claude Monet

Le Dindons (1877) by Claude Monet

La Rue Montorgueil, à Paris. Fête du 30 juin 1878 (1878) by Claude Monet

Auguste Renoir was known more for his portraits, many of fleshly women, but look at this gorgeous landscape by him!

Chemin Montant dans les Hautes Herbes (1877) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

 
Of course, one of Renoir's early works is also one of his most beloved and Impressionism's most celebrated paintings.  The painting was part of the personal collection donated to the French government by French painter Gustave Caillebotte upon his death. Caillebotte was friends with the Impressionist painters, often purchasing their works to help them financially (he came from a wealthy family), but he himself did not paint in the Impressionist manner.

Bal du Moulin de la Galette (1876) by Auguste Renoir

Édouard Manet is considered a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.  This controversial painting by him was rejected by the jury of the Académie des Beaux-Art's annual Salon de Paris art exhibition in 1863 because of the realist nude portrayed.  Thus, he exhibited the painting later in the year in the Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Rejected).
Le déjeuner sur l'Herbe (1863) by Édouard Manet

Two years later Manet continued to shock audiences when he exhibited this painting at the Salon de Paris. This time it wasn't the nudity that shocked people, it was how Manet portrayed the model as an obvious courtesan, right down to the title: the name was associated with prostitutes in Paris during this time.

Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet

Much less controversial is this beautiful portrait of his sister-in-law, Berthe Morisot.  Though she married Eugène Manet, it is widely suggested that Berthe Morisot had a romantic relationship with Édouard Manet prior to her marriage to Eugène.

 



































These are a few of the masterpieces hanging in the Musée d'Orsay.  In my next post, I'll show you more of the beautiful permanent collection in this world-class museum including beautiful works by van Gogh and later works by Monet.

For more information visit: http://www.musee-orsay.fr.

To get to the Musée d'Orsay, use:

Metro: Line 12 to Solférino
RER: Line C to Musée d'Orsay
Bus: Lines 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94

• Regular admission is €9.00.
• FREE with your Paris Museum Pass.
• There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, May 1, Christmas Day.
• Open 9:30-6:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
• Open 9:30-9:45 on Thursday

NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Musée d'Orsay in May, 2006.

ANOTHER FANTASTIC ART MUSEUM VISIT

In previous posts I have written about the fantastic art museums I've visited throughout America's Midwest. Earlier this year, we were greatly disappointed that we didn't visit Canada, but our visit to the Toledo Art Museum certainly didn't disappoint.  

We visited the museum on a Wednesday morning, arriving exactly when it opened.  What a special treat to be practically the only visitor in the whole museum!  It was like I had the whole museum to myself.  And what a museum!  The Toledo Art Museum has one of the best permanent collections I've seen.

Just a bit of history about the Toledo Art Museum:  The museum was founded in 1901 by Edward Drummond Libbey (yes, of the Libbey Glass Company).  Throughout their lives both Edward Libbey and his wife, Florence Scott Libbey, donated both land to build the current building and funds for its upkeep.  Many times Edward Libbey pledged money for the museum on the condition that the citizens of Toledo would donate the same amount; each time the public fundraising was successful.  Edward Libbey died in 1925, but bequeathed $1,000,000 to the museum in his will. Several years later Florence Libbey sold most of her husband's assets in order to fund building additions to the museum. This monetary gift allowed 2,500 men to be employed during the middle of the Great Depression. Thanks to the benevolence of the Libbey's (many of the paintings in the museum were purchased through the Libbey Endowment) and the continued support of the museum members, the Toledo Art is FREE to the public.

Nearly all of the works that I'm posting were purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment  Now, this way to view some masterpieces! 

As usual I'll start with the Impressionists:

Two exquisite works by Claude Monet:

Water Lilies (1922-1925) by Claude Monet

Between 1914 and 1925 Claude Monet completed more than 60 paintings of his water garden, capturing the light conditions at different times of day and in different weather conditions.

Antibes Seen from La Salis (1888) by Claude Monet

Just as Vincent van Gogh and Pierre Bonnard loved the light of the south of France, so did Claude Monet as shown in this view of the coastal town of Antibes.

Avenue at Chantilly (1888) by Paul Cézanne 

The Glade (1890) by Paul Cézanne

Often called the "Father of Modern Art" Paul Cézanne had a direct influence on two of the 20th century's most prolific artists: his color theories influenced Henri Matisse and his geometric structure of space helped Pablo Picasso develop Cubism.

The Green Jardinière (1882) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Road at Wargemont (1879) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Both of these painting by Renoir feature jewel-like colors and wonderful brushwork.  The young woman in the top painting is Aline Charigot, a seamstress who frequently modeled for Renoir.  She would eventually become his wife. The landscape painting below was painted while Renoir was a guest at an estate in northern France.

In the Garden at Maurecourt (1884) by Berthe Morisot

If you have been following this blog, you know that Berthe Morisot is one of my favorite painters.  I was thrilled when I saw this painting in the museum's collection.  The painting is set in the garden of the country home of Morisot's sister, Edma.  The young girl in the foreground is probably Morisot's daughter, Julie.

Peasants Resting (1881) by Camille Pissarro

The Roofs of Old Rouen, Gray Weather (1896) by Camille Pissarro

Still Life (1867) by Camille Pissarro

An innovator in his techniques, Pissarro was a central figure of the Impressionist painters. He was an influence to many Post-Impressionists painters especially Cézanne and Gauguin.

Antonin Proust (1880) by Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet was a groundbreaking Realist painter whose style was much admired by a group of young painters eventually known as the Impressionists.

Flowers and Fruit (1866) by Henri Fantin-Latour

Henri Fantin-Latour was famous for his still-life paintings.  He became renown for his precise rendering of nature.  For example, look at the exquisite detailing in the orange segments in the close-up in the bottom photo.

La Salle Clarac (1922) by Édouard Vuillard

This painting is one of four paintings of interior scenes set in some of Édouard Vuillard's favorite galleries of the Louvre, painted on commission for a private home in Switzerland.

The Camp Santo, Venice (1842) by J. M. W. Turner

This is the first painting I've posted by the British master J. M. W. Turner. Turner is perhaps the most famous English Romantic landscape artist and his work is regarded as a Romantic preface to Impressionism.

View of the Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice (1730s) by Canaletto

Christ and the Centurian (1575-1580) by Veronese

Both Canaletto and Veronese were one of the leading painters living in Venice during their respective lifetimes.

The Toledo Art Museum has such a superb permanent collection that I want to divide my posts.  In the next post I'm going to show you my favorite Dutch paintings.

For more information visit: http://www.toledomuseum.org/.

Toledo Art Museum

2445 Monroe Street

Toledo, OH   43620

Phone: 419.255.6000

For directions: click here.

• Admission is FREE every day for all visitors.
• There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
• Open 10:00-4:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
• Open 10:00-10:00 on Friday.
• Open 10:00-6:00 on Saturday.
• Open 12:00-6:00 on Sunday.

NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Toledo Art Museum in May, 2012.