oil on paper mounted on canvas, 49.5 x 64.7 cm (19 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.8
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
During the late nineteenth century, the artistic community in Paris began looking beyond impressionism for a more profound language of visual communication. Pierre Bonnard rejected impressionism and regarded the traditional convention that paintings could reproduce the natural world as false, mechanical, and unartistic. He considered that the act of painting, the arrangement of colored pigments on a flat surface, was the essence of artistry.
While studying for a law degree, Bonnard attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the AcadΘmie Julian. A mutual interest in Japanese art and the works of Paul Gauguin inspired some students, including Bonnard and his friend Edouard Vuillard, to form a group called the Nabis, after the Hebrew word for "prophets." Using strong colors and bold, flattened patterns, Bonnard celebrated the decorative effects of design in painting.
During the 1890s, Bonnard and Vuillard worked principally on a small scale, creating intimate works in a restricted range of muted colors. Toward the end of the decade, Bonnard's works became larger, and in the early 1900s, influenced by Henri Matisse, he adopted the brightened palette of "Table Set in a Garden." Inspired by symbolist literature and the art of Paul Gauguin, Bonnard worked from memory to evoke the atmosphere of a visual incident. In "Table Set in a Garden," for example, Bonnard does not merely define the physical appearance of the space, he invites the viewer to share a mood of quiet privacy.
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EugΦne Boudin
b. 1824, Honfleur, France
d. 1898, Paris, France
"Jetty and Wharf at Trouville," 1863
oil on wood, 34.6 x 57.8 cm (13 5/8 x 22 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.9
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
EugΦne Boudin, twenty years older than most of the impressionists, was among the few artists of his generation to insist on painting in the open air, declaring three brushstrokes done outdoors to be of greater value than days spent working in the studio. Grains of sand sometimes still adhere to his pictures from the beaches where Boudin painted, at times accompanied by the young Claude Monet. Boudin acknowledged his influence on Monet and other impressionists, and even exhibited with them at the first impressionist exhibition in 1874.
Boudin mostly painted small, detailed landscapes of the harbors and beaches along the coast of northern France. Though he believed sincerity was achieved by painting directly from nature, he still made adjustments to his paintings in the studio. "An impression is gained in an instant," he advised a student, "but it then has to be condensed following the rules of art or rather your own feeling and that is the most difficult thing--to finish a painting without spoiling anything."
When Boudin began to paint vacationers on the beaches of Normandy, his subject was unconventional. Seascapes, often populated with small peasant figures or fishermen, still attracted French painters in the mid-1800s. But Boudin's images, unlike those other rustic genre scenes, recorded a new phenomenon--the tourist with money and leisure time. His subjects were also his buyers, and he satisfied them by producing more than four thousand paintings like this one.
Boudin's beach scenes, though crowded, lack obvious narrative or anecdote. He characterized the postures and fashions of the bourgeoisie--including the huge crinolines that in high winds occasionally sent women over cliffs or into carriage wheels. Like the plume of smoke issuing from a steamer, the figures' very anonymity imparts a sense of modern life.
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Gustave Caillebotte
b. 1848, Paris, France
d. 1894, Gennevilliers, France
"Skiffs," 1877
oil on canvas, 88.9 x 116.2 cm (35 x 45 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1985.64.6
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gustave Caillebotte came from a wealthy Parisian family, and as a young man studied law and served in the military during the Franco-Prussian war. He later became an important figure in impressionist circles both as a painter and as a patron. Although his traditional painting technique tied him more closely to realism than impressionism, he did adopt the vivid colors and interest in the effects of light that united the group. After the death of his father in 1873, Caillebotte was left with a substantial inheritance which he used to support artists such as Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Paul CΘzanne.
Caillebotte's everyday subjects, which included domestic interiors, urban scenes, bathers, and boaters, were also typical of the impressionists. Along with horse racing and other English sports, boating became especially popular in France under the Second Empire. As rail travel made the suburbs outside Paris increasingly accessible, city dwellers--including the impressionists--retreated to the villages on the Seine for weekends and holidays. On a narrow, wooded stretch of the Yerres river near his family's country estate Caillebotte depicted lightweight, flat-bottomed boats, called "perissoires," in his painting "Skiffs."
Caillebotte established his reputation in the second and third impressionist exhibitions in 1876 and 1877 with a series of ambitious Parisian interiors and street scenes. In these paintings he combined more traditional blended brushwork and subdued colors with unconventional spatial constructions. "Skiffs" is one of a number of paintings of boaters and bathers Caillebotte executed in the following years and exhibited at the fourth impressionist show in 1879. In these works, he introduced the heightened palette and broken brushstrokes of his friends Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. He also continued to experiment with perspectival effects; here he cropped out most of the skiff on the right, and employed a point of view so low that the spectator is nearly at water's level.
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Mary Cassatt
b. 1844, Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, USA
d. 1926, Menil-Theribus, France
"Children Playing on the Beach," 1884
oil on canvas, 97.4 x 74.2 cm (38 3/8 x 29 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.19
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
At a time when most women, especially wealthy ones, did not usually pursue careers, Mary Cassatt decided to become an artist. Born to a prominent Pittsburgh family, she attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She went abroad at twenty-two, traveling extensively and studying the old masters in European museums. While in Paris, she studied with the academic painters Jean-LΘon GΘr⌠me and Charles Chaplin as well as independently at the Louvre.
In 1873, Cassatt settled in Paris. Although she had several works accepted for exhibition by the rigidly traditional French Salon, her artistic aims aligned her more solidly with the avant-garde painters of the time. She was delighted when, in 1877, Edgar Degas invited her to join the progressive group of artists popularly known as the impressionists (Degas preferred the term "independents.") "I had already recognized who were my true masters," she explained, "I admired Manet, Courbet, and Degas. I hated conventional art--I began to live." Cassatt showed at the impressionist group exhibition for the first time in 1879.
A close working relationship developed between Cassatt and Degas. From similar upper-class backgrounds, the two painters enjoyed a friendship based on common artistic interests in compositional structure and patterns, and a devotion to contemporary subject matter. Cassatt maintained ties with America through her family and friends, but lived in France for the rest of her life.
"Children Playing on the Beach" demonstrates Mary Cassatt's special talent for capturing the natural attitudes of children. Seated in the sand with pails and a shovel, they are absorbed in play. The intent expression on one child's face, the lowered angles of their heads, and the set of their shoulders all suggest complete concentration on their activities. Especially appealing is the awkward way in which the toddler on the left grips the long handle of her shovel while holding the rim of the bucket with her other pudgy hand. Although Cassatt painted many pictures of children, the subject of "Children Playing on the Beach" is unique in her work.
Cassatt's interest in design and strong sense of patterning also comes through clearly in "Children Playing on the Beach." Her careful brushstrokes follow the contours of the arms, legs, and heads of the children, creating solid forms. To keep the center of attention on the little girls, Cassatt treated the seascape background more loosely, making the boats on the ocean appear to melt into a haze of natural light. Cassatt emphasized the play of surface patterns in the dark dresses accented by crisp white pinafores. Her attention to the personalities of her subjects and the strong overall design of the painting reflect Cassatt's equal sensitivity to both form and content.
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Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
b. 1796, Paris, France
d. 1875, Paris, France
"Ville d'Avray," c. 1867/1870
oil on canvas, 49.3 x 65.5 cm (19 3/8 x 25 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Count Cecil Pecci-Blunt 1955.9.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Associated with the French Barbizon school, Corot was one of the leading landscape painters of the nineteenth century. He worked in Italy and France, especially around Paris and the forest of Fontainebleau. Corot often advised younger painters, including Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Claude Monet. He proved an important influence on the impressionists, not only in his commitment to painting outdoors, but also in his adoption of a brighter palette. Using a light-colored ground, Corot suffused his paintings with a silvery light and poetic mood.
Corot exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon, contributing canvases based on sketches made directly from nature. Throughout his career, he traveled widely in France and Italy, as well as visiting Holland, Switzerland, and London. During these trips, Corot made sketches that he would later use to create more polished paintings in his studio. The outdoor sketch was like notes taken from nature, data to be transformed through the artist's imagination in the studio into finished, salable works.
Trained in the classical landscape tradition of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, Corot began building his compositions by considering form before color and value. Nevertheless, his finished works subordinate these formal elements to the emotion he experienced in front of nature. "Ville d'Avray" depicts the landscape surrounding his family's country house in a small village west of Paris. Corot kept a studio there in the winter months and often painted the village buildings and ponds. The true subject of this lyrical view, however, is the artist's reverie before a landscape that is partially real and partially an invention. Small figures in peasant costumes invite feelings of nostalgia, while the feathery silver tones, soft and luminous, impart an air of tranquility.
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Gustave Courbet
b. 1819, Ornans, France
d. 1877, Tour de Peitz, Switzerland
"La Bretonnerie in the Department of Indre," 1856
canvas, 60.8 x 73.3 cm (24 x 28 7/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of
Marie N. Harriman 1972.9.8
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
As the main exponent of realism in nineteenth-century French painting, Gustave Courbet was never fully accepted by the AcadΘmie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Unlike the smoothly painted, refined images of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Jacques-Louis David, Courbet's works elevated themes of everyday life that were considered unworthy of the status of history painting. His rough application of paint with a palette knife and his disdain for the fine finish of academic paintings fostered his reputation as an "ignorant barbarian" who lacked good taste and talent.
Courbet was born at Ornans in eastern France and received his early training in his native town and at Besanτon. Upon moving to Paris in 1839, he began studying the old masters at the Louvre, admiring the work of the Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, and Venetian painters. He exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1841, but thereafter his paintings received less favorable attention from critics. After his work "The Painter's Studio" was rejected from the Exposition Universelle in 1855, he held a one-man exhibition that firmly established his position as the leading realist painter.
From the 1850s Courbet traveled extensively in France and Germany, but returned frequently to Ornans. Courbet painted "La Bretonnerie in the Department of Indre," which depicts the valley of the Indre river, during a visit with his friend ClΘment Laurier. Although he has chosen to depict a rough, wild spot, the landscape is traditionally composed: a large tree at the left frames the composition, while a meandering stream leads back through the middle-ground toward a stand of trees in the distance.
Courbet was later imprisoned for his incendiary role in the Commune in 1871: as the head of the Federation of Arts, he was implicated in the destruction of the Vend⌠me Column, the sculpture that celebrated Napoleon Bonaparte's victories. Ostracized for his radical politics, Courbet spent his last years in exile in Switzerland.
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Paul CΘzanne
b. 1839, Aix-en-Provence, France
d. 1906, Aix-en-Provence, France
"Flowers in a Rococo Vase," c. 1876
oil on canvas, 73 x 59.8 cm (28 3/4 x 23 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.105
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
By the end of his life Paul CΘzanne was recognized as one of the great masters of his era. CΘzanne believed form and color to be the most important elements of painting, one inseparable from the other, and through them he evoked the fundamental order and the essential restless and chaotic quality of nature. His vision united naturalist and realist treatments of the late eighteenth and earlier nineteenth centuries with the ordered views of nature made by the old masters. His art also provided strong direction for painters of the early twentieth century, such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who developed cubism.
CΘzanne was born in Aix, where he went to school with the writer Emile Zola. He trained as a lawyer and worked as a banker before turning to painting. Dark tones, thick paint, and strong lighting characterized CΘzanne's early works, mostly portraits done between 1861 and 1871. Camille Pissarro urged him to adopt the broken brushwork and light palette of the impressionists. Although CΘzanne exhibited at the first and third impressionist group exhibitions, he soon lost faith in the goals of the movement.
Searching for a more solid means of representing forms, CΘzanne began conveying mass and volume through hatched strokes of paint. "Houses in Provence" is one of the many views that CΘzanne painted of the countryside in the south of France, near his native Aix. In this painting, he imposes his own order on nature, emphasizing the geometric structure and subtle tonalities of the rugged Provenτal landscape, with its characteristic ocher-colored stucco houses with red-tiled roofs. Rhythmic, carefully calculated brushstrokes create concrete forms that might also be read as colored shapes on a surface.
CΘzanne was a meticulous and deliberate painter, and often worked on his canvases for several months. In "Flowers in a Rococo Vase," he demonstrates a careful concern for solid, plastic forms: a separate brushstroke defines each flower petal, while the roundness of the vase is conveyed through individual strokes of modulated color. In his later "Still Life," the artist continues his attention to the shape and weight of objects. This painting's underlying composition is complex. By including different vantage points in one scene, CΘzanne presents the viewer with more visual information than if he had painted the objects from a single perspective; here, for example, he depicts the fruit frontally, while the table top, milk pitcher, and plate are shown from above.
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Paul CΘzanne
b. 1839, Aix-en-Provence, France
d. 1906, Aix-en-Provence, France
"Houses in Provence," c. 1880
oil on canvas, 65 x 81.3 cm (25 5/8 x 32 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1973.68.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
By the end of his life Paul CΘzanne was recognized as one of the great masters of his era. CΘzanne believed form and color to be the most important elements of painting, one inseparable from the other, and through them he evoked the fundamental order and the essential restless and chaotic quality of nature. His vision united naturalist and realist treatments of the late eighteenth and earlier nineteenth centuries with the ordered views of nature made by the old masters. His art also provided strong direction for painters of the early twentieth century, such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who developed cubism.
CΘzanne was born in Aix, where he went to school with the writer Emile Zola. He trained as a lawyer and worked as a banker before turning to painting. Dark tones, thick paint, and strong lighting characterized CΘzanne's early works, mostly portraits done between 1861 and 1871. Camille Pissarro urged him to adopt the broken brushwork and light palette of the impressionists. Although CΘzanne exhibited at the first and third impressionist group exhibitions, he soon lost faith in the goals of the movement.
Searching for a more solid means of representing forms, CΘzanne began conveying mass and volume through hatched strokes of paint. "Houses in Provence" is one of the many views that CΘzanne painted of the countryside in the south of France, near his native Aix. In this painting, he imposes his own order on nature, emphasizing the geometric structure and subtle tonalities of the rugged Provenτal landscape, with its characteristic ocher-colored stucco houses with red-tiled roofs. Rhythmic, carefully calculated brushstrokes create concrete forms that might also be read as colored shapes on a surface.
CΘzanne was a meticulous and deliberate painter, and often worked on his canvases for several months. In "Flowers in a Rococo Vase," he demonstrates a careful concern for solid, plastic forms: a separate brushstroke defines each flower petal, while the roundness of the vase is conveyed through individual strokes of modulated color. In his later "Still Life," the artist continues his attention to the shape and weight of objects. This painting's underlying composition is complex. By including different vantage points in one scene, CΘzanne presents the viewer with more visual information than if he had painted the objects from a single perspective; here, for example, he depicts the fruit frontally, while the table top, milk pitcher, and plate are shown from above.
[cezanne3.cmp]
Paul CΘzanne
b. 1839, Aix-en-Provence, France
d. 1906, Aix-en-Provence, France
"Still Life," c. 1900
oil on canvas, 45.8 x 54.9 cm (18 x 21 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of
Marie N. Harriman 1972.9.5
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
By the end of his life Paul CΘzanne was recognized as one of the great masters of his era. CΘzanne believed form and color to be the most important elements of painting, one inseparable from the other, and through them he evoked the fundamental order and the essential restless and chaotic quality of nature. His vision united naturalist and realist treatments of the late eighteenth and earlier nineteenth centuries with the ordered views of nature made by the old masters. His art also provided strong direction for painters of the early twentieth century, such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who developed cubism.
CΘzanne was born in Aix, where he went to school with the writer Emile Zola. He trained as a lawyer and worked as a banker before turning to painting. Dark tones, thick paint, and strong lighting characterized CΘzanne's early works, mostly portraits done between 1861 and 1871. Camille Pissarro urged him to adopt the broken brushwork and light palette of the impressionists. Although CΘzanne exhibited at the first and third impressionist group exhibitions, he soon lost faith in the goals of the movement.
Searching for a more solid means of representing forms, CΘzanne began conveying mass and volume through hatched strokes of paint. "Houses in Provence" is one of the many views that CΘzanne painted of the countryside in the south of France, near his native Aix. In this painting, he imposes his own order on nature, emphasizing the geometric structure and subtle tonalities of the rugged Provenτal landscape, with its characteristic ocher-colored stucco houses with red-tiled roofs. Rhythmic, carefully calculated brushstrokes create concrete forms that might also be read as colored shapes on a surface.
CΘzanne was a meticulous and deliberate painter, and often worked on his canvases for several months. In "Flowers in a Rococo Vase," he demonstrates a careful concern for solid, plastic forms: a separate brushstroke defines each flower petal, while the roundness of the vase is conveyed through individual strokes of modulated color. In his later "Still Life," the artist continues his attention to the shape and weight of objects. This painting's underlying composition is complex. By including different vantage points in one scene, CΘzanne presents the viewer with more visual information than if he had painted the objects from a single perspective; here, for example, he depicts the fruit frontally, while the table top, milk pitcher, and plate are shown from above.
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Edgar Degas
b. 1834, Paris, France
d. 1917, Paris, France
"Dancers at the Old Opera House," c. 1877
pastel over monotype on laid paper, 21.8 x 17.1 cm (8 5/8 x 6 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.26
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Edgar Degas was born to an aristocratic family, unusually supportive of his desire to paint. As a young man the disciplined style of the neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres greatly impressed him. Throughout his career Degas stressed the importance of careful composition and strong drawing. He helped organize the first impressionist exhibition in 1874, and remained influential in the group. Unlike the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that Monet and Renoir sought to capture, Degas' own work was deliberate and controlled, painted in the studio from sketches, notes, and memory.
Degas shared with the impressionists an interest in modern life--from the Paris dance halls and cabarets to the races, opera, and ballet. He also studied simple, everyday motions of working women: milliners, dressmakers, and laundresses. Perhaps the language of cinema best describes Degas' work--pans and frames, long shots and close ups, tilts and shifts in focus. Figures are cut off and positioned off-center; sightlines are high and oblique. His interest in photography and in collecting Japanese prints greatly influenced his work, especially his adoption of spatially ambiguous compositions.
In "Dancers at the Old Opera House," Degas views the ballet from the stage area reserved for the direction of the opera and for close associates of the management. From this unusual vantage point, the dancers' jumbled limbs create an ambiguous spatial arrangement, making it difficult to distinguish one form from another. Quickly sketched profiles of the dancers and theatergoers appear distorted under the glare of the house lights, suggesting the heady turmoil of the final moments before the dancers leave the stage and the crowd exits the theater.
"Four Dancers" takes the viewer behind the scenes to a ballet rehearsal. As in "Dancers at the Old Opera House," the composition is framed off-center and some figures are cut off. Yet, again, this is not an accidental arrangement. In contrast to many of his impressionist contemporaries Degas did not seek spontaneous improvisation but, like the dancers he painted so often, a carefully polished performance. The sudden sharp focus on the dancers' arms and backs emphasize their movements, while descriptive detail is suppressed.
Besides the ballet, other forms of women's work provided equal inspiration for Degas. Laundresses appeared as characters in newly popular realistic novels, which detailed the difficult lives of these women. They worked long, hot hours for low wages, and because they wore loose clothing and made deliveries to men's apartments, their morals were often questioned. Degas, however, seems not to have been interested in their social situation so much as in their characteristic gestures. In "Woman Ironing," he emphasizes the curve of the woman's body as she leans into her work, the soft curtain of color provided by the hanging garments, and the crisp edges of the shirt folded on the table.
[Degas2.cmp]
Edgar Degas
b. 1834, Paris, France
d. 1917, Paris, France
"Four Dancers," c. 1899
oil on canvas, 151.1 x 180.2 cm (59 1/2 x 71 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.122
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Edgar Degas was born to an aristocratic family, unusually supportive of his desire to paint. As a young man the disciplined style of the neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres greatly impressed him. Throughout his career Degas stressed the importance of careful composition and strong drawing. He helped organize the first impressionist exhibition in 1874, and remained influential in the group. Unlike the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that Monet and Renoir sought to capture, Degas' own work was deliberate and controlled, painted in the studio from sketches, notes, and memory.
Degas shared with the impressionists an interest in modern life--from the Paris dance halls and cabarets to the races, opera, and ballet. He also studied simple, everyday motions of working women: milliners, dressmakers, and laundresses. Perhaps the language of cinema best describes Degas' work--pans and frames, long shots and close ups, tilts and shifts in focus. Figures are cut off and positioned off-center; sightlines are high and oblique. His interest in photography and in collecting Japanese prints greatly influenced his work, especially his adoption of spatially ambiguous compositions.
In "Dancers at the Old Opera House," Degas views the ballet from the stage area reserved for the direction of the opera and for close associates of the management. From this unusual vantage point, the dancers' jumbled limbs create an ambiguous spatial arrangement, making it difficult to distinguish one form from another. Quickly sketched profiles of the dancers and theatergoers appear distorted under the glare of the house lights, suggesting the heady turmoil of the final moments before the dancers leave the stage and the crowd exits the theater.
"Four Dancers" takes the viewer behind the scenes to a ballet rehearsal. As in "Dancers at the Old Opera House," the composition is framed off-center and some figures are cut off. Yet, again, this is not an accidental arrangement. In contrast to many of his impressionist contemporaries Degas did not seek spontaneous improvisation but, like the dancers he painted so often, a carefully polished performance. The sudden sharp focus on the dancers' arms and backs emphasize their movements, while descriptive detail is suppressed.
Besides the ballet, other forms of women's work provided equal inspiration for Degas. Laundresses appeared as characters in newly popular realistic novels, which detailed the difficult lives of these women. They worked long, hot hours for low wages, and because they wore loose clothing and made deliveries to men's apartments, their morals were often questioned. Degas, however, seems not to have been interested in their social situation so much as in their characteristic gestures. In "Woman Ironing," he emphasizes the curve of the woman's body as she leans into her work, the soft curtain of color provided by the hanging garments, and the crisp edges of the shirt folded on the table.
[Degas3.cmp]
Edgar Degas
b. 1834, Paris, France
d. 1917, Paris, France
"Woman Ironing," begun c. 1876, completed c. 1887
oil on canvas, 81.3 x 66 cm (32 x 26 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1972.74.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Edgar Degas was born to an aristocratic family, unusually supportive of his desire to paint. As a young man the disciplined style of the neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres greatly impressed him. Throughout his career Degas stressed the importance of careful composition and strong drawing. He helped organize the first impressionist exhibition in 1874, and remained influential in the group. Unlike the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that Monet and Renoir sought to capture, Degas' own work was deliberate and controlled, painted in the studio from sketches, notes, and memory.
Degas shared with the impressionists an interest in modern life--from the Paris dance halls and cabarets to the races, opera, and ballet. He also studied simple, everyday motions of working women: milliners, dressmakers, and laundresses. Perhaps the language of cinema best describes Degas' work--pans and frames, long shots and close ups, tilts and shifts in focus. Figures are cut off and positioned off-center; sightlines are high and oblique. His interest in photography and in collecting Japanese prints greatly influenced his work, especially his adoption of spatially ambiguous compositions.
In "Dancers at the Old Opera House," Degas views the ballet from the stage area reserved for the direction of the opera and for close associates of the management. From this unusual vantage point, the dancers' jumbled limbs create an ambiguous spatial arrangement, making it difficult to distinguish one form from another. Quickly sketched profiles of the dancers and theatergoers appear distorted under the glare of the house lights, suggesting the heady turmoil of the final moments before the dancers leave the stage and the crowd exits the theater.
"Four Dancers" takes the viewer behind the scenes to a ballet rehearsal. As in "Dancers at the Old Opera House," the composition is framed off-center and some figures are cut off. Yet, again, this is not an accidental arrangement. In contrast to many of his impressionist contemporaries Degas did not seek spontaneous improvisation but, like the dancers he painted so often, a carefully polished performance. The sudden sharp focus on the dancers' arms and backs emphasize their movements, while descriptive detail is suppressed.
Besides the ballet, other forms of women's work provided equal inspiration for Degas. Laundresses appeared as characters in newly popular realistic novels, which detailed the difficult lives of these women. They worked long, hot hours for low wages, and because they wore loose clothing and made deliveries to men's apartments, their morals were often questioned. Degas, however, seems not to have been interested in their social situation so much as in their characteristic gestures. In "Woman Ironing," he emphasizes the curve of the woman's body as she leans into her work, the soft curtain of color provided by the hanging garments, and the crisp edges of the shirt folded on the table.
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Paul Gauguin
b. 1848, Paris, France
d. 1903, Hivaoa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
"Breton Girls Dancing, Pont-Aven," 1888
oil on canvas, 73 x 92.7 cm (28 3/4 x 36 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.19
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gauguin was among the first French artists to break radically with the impressionists, who were principally concerned with capturing the optical qualities of light and atmosphere. Gauguin, however, sought to emphasize the symbolic content of his subjects, and his style is generally characterized by flat areas of saturated color separated by dark outlines.
Born in Paris, Gauguin spent his early childhood in Peru. He was a merchant seaman before becoming a stockbroker, and began painting as an amateur around 1873. Gauguin's rapid progress won him a place at the Salon of 1876. During an economic downturn around 1882, Gauguin lost his job as a stockbroker and began painting full-time. He exhibited works at the last four impressionist exhibitions, developing his own unique style during visits to Pont-Aven in Brittany. Paris and Parisian art seemed too sophisticated and false to Gauguin, so he moved to Brittany in July 1886.
In "Breton Girls Dancing" of 1888, Gauguin depicts local peasant children; uncouth and awkward as dancers, their faces are at once young and old. Above all, however, they are real children, innocent and appealing. Gauguin suggested the sinuous movement of the peasant dance in the pattern of undulating curves in the girls' linked arms, and in their traditional white collars and intricately folded headdresses. In the background is the village of Pont-Aven, a farming community with a thriving artists' colony.
Later in 1888 Gauguin worked briefly with Vincent van Gogh, but the two parted ways after an argument. In the next year, Gauguin painted a self-portrait on a cupboard door in the dining room of an inn in the Breton hamlet of Le Pouldu. Self-portraits constituted a significant element of the artist's production. He was prompted in part by Van Gogh's 1888 portrait series. In this "Self-Portrait," Gauguin's haloed head and disembodied right hand appear to float on top of broad areas of yellow and red. Apples, a snake, and the halo allude to biblical themes and are suggestive of both good and evil. In referring to a similar self-portrait, Gauguin described his face as that of "an outlaw...with an inner nobility and gentleness."
Seeking a foreign land where he could paint an idyllic paradise unspoiled by civilization, Gauguin moved to the south sea island of Tahiti in 1891. Although disappointed to find that they had already had contact with Westerners, he found inspiration in what remained of Polynesian culture. The haunting power of Gauguin's dreams, filtering tropical exotica through his own brooding mysticism, permeates the works he produced on the islands. In "Fatata te Miti," or "by the sea," the dark shape of a tree stretches diagonally across the canvas, its branches swinging around and over the three Tahitians. Gauguin balances complementary colors--orange and blue, yellow and violet, green and red--in rhythmic, almost abstract, patterns.
Although Gauguin went back to Paris between 1893 and 1895, he returned to the south seas where he remained until his death.
[Gauguin2.cmp]
Paul Gauguin
b. 1848, Paris, France
d. 1903, Hivaoa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
"Fatata te Miti (By the Sea)," 1892
oil on canvas, 67.9 x 91.5 cm (26 3/4 x 36 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.149
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gauguin was among the first French artists to break radically with the impressionists, who were principally concerned with capturing the optical qualities of light and atmosphere. Gauguin, however, sought to emphasize the symbolic content of his subjects, and his style is generally characterized by flat areas of saturated color separated by dark outlines.
Born in Paris, Gauguin spent his early childhood in Peru. He was a merchant seaman before becoming a stockbroker, and began painting as an amateur around 1873. Gauguin's rapid progress won him a place at the Salon of 1876. During an economic downturn around 1882, Gauguin lost his job as a stockbroker and began painting full-time. He exhibited works at the last four impressionist exhibitions, developing his own unique style during visits to Pont-Aven in Brittany. Paris and Parisian art seemed too sophisticated and false to Gauguin, so he moved to Brittany in July 1886.
In "Breton Girls Dancing" of 1888, Gauguin depicts local peasant children; uncouth and awkward as dancers, their faces are at once young and old. Above all, however, they are real children, innocent and appealing. Gauguin suggested the sinuous movement of the peasant dance in the pattern of undulating curves in the girls' linked arms, and in their traditional white collars and intricately folded headdresses. In the background is the village of Pont-Aven, a farming community with a thriving artists' colony.
Later in 1888 Gauguin worked briefly with Vincent van Gogh, but the two parted ways after an argument. In the next year, Gauguin painted a self-portrait on a cupboard door in the dining room of an inn in the Breton hamlet of Le Pouldu. Self-portraits constituted a significant element of the artist's production. He was prompted in part by Van Gogh's 1888 portrait series. In this "Self-Portrait," Gauguin's haloed head and disembodied right hand appear to float on top of broad areas of yellow and red. Apples, a snake, and the halo allude to biblical themes and are suggestive of both good and evil. In referring to a similar self-portrait, Gauguin described his face as that of "an outlaw...with an inner nobility and gentleness."
Seeking a foreign land where he could paint an idyllic paradise unspoiled by civilization, Gauguin moved to the south sea island of Tahiti in 1891. Although disappointed to find that they had already had contact with Westerners, he found inspiration in what remained of Polynesian culture. The haunting power of Gauguin's dreams, filtering tropical exotica through his own brooding mysticism, permeates the works he produced on the islands. In "Fatata te Miti," or "by the sea," the dark shape of a tree stretches diagonally across the canvas, its branches swinging around and over the three Tahitians. Gauguin balances complementary colors--orange and blue, yellow and violet, green and red--in rhythmic, almost abstract, patterns.
Although Gauguin went back to Paris between 1893 and 1895, he returned to the south seas where he remained until his death.
[Gauguin3.cmp]
Paul Gauguin
b. 1848, Paris, France
d. 1903, Hivaoa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
"Self-Portrait," 1889
oil on wood, 79.2 x 51.3 cm (31 1/4 x 20 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.150
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gauguin was among the first French artists to break radically with the impressionists, who were principally concerned with capturing the optical qualities of light and atmosphere. Gauguin, however, sought to emphasize the symbolic content of his subjects, and his style is generally characterized by flat areas of saturated color separated by dark outlines.
Born in Paris, Gauguin spent his early childhood in Peru. He was a merchant seaman before becoming a stockbroker, and began painting as an amateur around 1873. Gauguin's rapid progress won him a place at the Salon of 1876. During an economic downturn around 1882, Gauguin lost his job as a stockbroker and began painting full-time. He exhibited works at the last four impressionist exhibitions, developing his own unique style during visits to Pont-Aven in Brittany. Paris and Parisian art seemed too sophisticated and false to Gauguin, so he moved to Brittany in July 1886.
In "Breton Girls Dancing" of 1888, Gauguin depicts local peasant children; uncouth and awkward as dancers, their faces are at once young and old. Above all, however, they are real children, innocent and appealing. Gauguin suggested the sinuous movement of the peasant dance in the pattern of undulating curves in the girls' linked arms, and in their traditional white collars and intricately folded headdresses. In the background is the village of Pont-Aven, a farming community with a thriving artists' colony.
Later in 1888 Gauguin worked briefly with Vincent van Gogh, but the two parted ways after an argument. In the next year, Gauguin painted a self-portrait on a cupboard door in the dining room of an inn in the Breton hamlet of Le Pouldu. Self-portraits constituted a significant element of the artist's production. He was prompted in part by Van Gogh's 1888 portrait series. In this "Self-Portrait," Gauguin's haloed head and disembodied right hand appear to float on top of broad areas of yellow and red. Apples, a snake, and the halo allude to biblical themes and are suggestive of both good and evil. In referring to a similar self-portrait, Gauguin described his face as that of "an outlaw...with an inner nobility and gentleness."
Seeking a foreign land where he could paint an idyllic paradise unspoiled by civilization, Gauguin moved to the south sea island of Tahiti in 1891. Although disappointed to find that they had already had contact with Westerners, he found inspiration in what remained of Polynesian culture. The haunting power of Gauguin's dreams, filtering tropical exotica through his own brooding mysticism, permeates the works he produced on the islands. In "Fatata te Miti," or "by the sea," the dark shape of a tree stretches diagonally across the canvas, its branches swinging around and over the three Tahitians. Gauguin balances complementary colors--orange and blue, yellow and violet, green and red--in rhythmic, almost abstract, patterns.
Although Gauguin went back to Paris between 1893 and 1895, he returned to the south seas where he remained until his death.
[manet1.cmp]
Edouard Manet
b. 1832, Paris, France
d. 1883, Paris, France
"Ball at the Opera," 1873
oil on canvas, 59 x 72.5 cm (23 1/4 x 28 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Mrs. Horace Havemeyer in memory of her mother-in-law,
Louisine W. Havemeyer 1982.75.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
It is hard to imagine Paris at a time when the life of the city did not interest French artists. Yet this was largely the situation in 1850 when Edouard Manet began to study art. Young artists could expect to succeed only through recognition at the Academy's official exhibitions, known as Salons, where conservative juries favored biblical and mythological themes and a highly refined technique. Within twenty-five years, however, painting had a new look. Artists abandoned the transparent glazes and carefully blended brushstrokes of the past and turned their attention to life around them.
Manet went often to the Louvre to study the works of the old masters. He was particularly impressed by Velßzquez, contrasting the seventeenth-century Spaniard's vivid brushwork with what Manet disparaged as the "stews and gravies" of the academic style. Manet began to develop a freer manner, creating form not through a gradual blending of tones, but with separate areas of color laid in side by side.
Manet's embrace of everyday life and his bold manner with paint inspired the future impressionists, but Manet never participated in their exhibitions. Instead, he continued to seek, and eventually received, recognition at the Salon. While the impressionists were preparing for their first exhibition, Manet was completing his submissions to the 1874 Salon, including "Gare Saint-Lazare." At that time the Gare Saint-Lazare was the busiest train station in Paris, where the bourgeoisie embarked for popular recreation spots like Chatou and Argenteuil. The station's ambitious bridge was a familiar landmark, but for Manet it is an almost invisible background. Only the iron fences and the steam billowing from an unseen engine locate the two enigmatic figures.
Manet came from a well-to-do family, and "Ball at the Opera" provides a glimpse of the sophisticated Parisian world he loved. He was uncomfortable in the countryside, preferring instead the refinements of the city. In "Ball at the Opera," the elegant men and coquettish young women of the Parisian demimonde are attending a masked ball held each year during Lent. At the edges of the horizontal painting--a format Manet used often--figures end abruptly. At the top a leg dangles over a railing. In contrast to the self-contained compositions of academic art, we are instantly aware that we see only a part of a scene that extends beyond the picture frame.
Although Manet was principally a figure painter, still life often featured prominently in his work. As the artist's health deteriorated in the early 1880s, it became more difficult for him to create large easel paintings. Pastels and small, easily managed oils figured increasingly in his production, culminating in a series of still lifes that includes "Flowers in a Crystal Vase." This bouquet of roses, pinks, and pansies sitting casually in a crystal vase, probably painted in the summer of 1882, became a charming New Year's Day present to a lady now known only as Madame X. Manet's mastery is everywhere apparent and undiminished. Fluid brushstrokes animate its surface with sensuously applied, vibrant color. In poignant contrast to Manet's ill health, his painting is a bright celebration of nature's vitality.
[manet2.cmp]
Edouard Manet
b. 1832, Paris, France
d. 1883, Paris, France
"Flowers in a Crystal Vase," c. 1882
canvas, 32.6 x 24.3 cm (12 7/8 x 9 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.37
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
It is hard to imagine Paris at a time when the life of the city did not interest French artists. Yet this was largely the situation in 1850 when Edouard Manet began to study art. Young artists could expect to succeed only through recognition at the Academy's official exhibitions, known as Salons, where conservative juries favored biblical and mythological themes and a highly refined technique. Within twenty-five years, however, painting had a new look. Artists abandoned the transparent glazes and carefully blended brushstrokes of the past and turned their attention to life around them.
Manet went often to the Louvre to study the works of the old masters. He was particularly impressed by Velßzquez, contrasting the seventeenth-century Spaniard's vivid brushwork with what Manet disparaged as the "stews and gravies" of the academic style. Manet began to develop a freer manner, creating form not through a gradual blending of tones, but with separate areas of color laid in side by side.
Manet's embrace of everyday life and his bold manner with paint inspired the future impressionists, but Manet never participated in their exhibitions. Instead, he continued to seek, and eventually received, recognition at the Salon. While the impressionists were preparing for their first exhibition, Manet was completing his submissions to the 1874 Salon, including "Gare Saint-Lazare." At that time the Gare Saint-Lazare was the busiest train station in Paris, where the bourgeoisie embarked for popular recreation spots like Chatou and Argenteuil. The station's ambitious bridge was a familiar landmark, but for Manet it is an almost invisible background. Only the iron fences and the steam billowing from an unseen engine locate the two enigmatic figures.
Manet came from a well-to-do family, and "Ball at the Opera" provides a glimpse of the sophisticated Parisian world he loved. He was uncomfortable in the countryside, preferring instead the refinements of the city. In "Ball at the Opera," the elegant men and coquettish young women of the Parisian demimonde are attending a masked ball held each year during Lent. At the edges of the horizontal painting--a format Manet used often--figures end abruptly. At the top a leg dangles over a railing. In contrast to the self-contained compositions of academic art, we are instantly aware that we see only a part of a scene that extends beyond the picture frame.
Although Manet was principally a figure painter, still life often featured prominently in his work. As the artist's health deteriorated in the early 1880s, it became more difficult for him to create large easel paintings. Pastels and small, easily managed oils figured increasingly in his production, culminating in a series of still lifes that includes "Flowers in a Crystal Vase." This bouquet of roses, pinks, and pansies sitting casually in a crystal vase, probably painted in the summer of 1882, became a charming New Year's Day present to a lady now known only as Madame X. Manet's mastery is everywhere apparent and undiminished. Fluid brushstrokes animate its surface with sensuously applied, vibrant color. In poignant contrast to Manet's ill health, his painting is a bright celebration of nature's vitality.
[manet3.cmp]
Edouard Manet
b. 1832, Paris, France
d. 1883, Paris, France
"Gare Saint-Lazare," 1873
oil on canvas, 93.3 x 111.5 cm (36 3/4 x 43 7/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Horace Havemeyer in memory of his mother,
Louisine W. Havemeyer 1956.10.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
It is hard to imagine Paris at a time when the life of the city did not interest French artists. Yet this was largely the situation in 1850 when Edouard Manet began to study art. Young artists could expect to succeed only through recognition at the Academy's official exhibitions, known as Salons, where conservative juries favored biblical and mythological themes and a highly refined technique. Within twenty-five years, however, painting had a new look. Artists abandoned the transparent glazes and carefully blended brushstrokes of the past and turned their attention to life around them.
Manet went often to the Louvre to study the works of the old masters. He was particularly impressed by Velßzquez, contrasting the seventeenth-century Spaniard's vivid brushwork with what Manet disparaged as the "stews and gravies" of the academic style. Manet began to develop a freer manner, creating form not through a gradual blending of tones, but with separate areas of color laid in side by side.
Manet's embrace of everyday life and his bold manner with paint inspired the future impressionists, but Manet never participated in their exhibitions. Instead, he continued to seek, and eventually received, recognition at the Salon. While the impressionists were preparing for their first exhibition, Manet was completing his submissions to the 1874 Salon, including "Gare Saint-Lazare." At that time the Gare Saint-Lazare was the busiest train station in Paris, where the bourgeoisie embarked for popular recreation spots like Chatou and Argenteuil. The station's ambitious bridge was a familiar landmark, but for Manet it is an almost invisible background. Only the iron fences and the steam billowing from an unseen engine locate the two enigmatic figures.
Manet came from a well-to-do family, and "Ball at the Opera" provides a glimpse of the sophisticated Parisian world he loved. He was uncomfortable in the countryside, preferring instead the refinements of the city. In "Ball at the Opera," the elegant men and coquettish young women of the Parisian demimonde are attending a masked ball held each year during Lent. At the edges of the horizontal painting--a format Manet used often--figures end abruptly. At the top a leg dangles over a railing. In contrast to the self-contained compositions of academic art, we are instantly aware that we see only a part of a scene that extends beyond the picture frame.
Although Manet was principally a figure painter, still life often featured prominently in his work. As the artist's health deteriorated in the early 1880s, it became more difficult for him to create large easel paintings. Pastels and small, easily managed oils figured increasingly in his production, culminating in a series of still lifes that includes "Flowers in a Crystal Vase." This bouquet of roses, pinks, and pansies sitting casually in a crystal vase, probably painted in the summer of 1882, became a charming New Year's Day present to a lady now known only as Madame X. Manet's mastery is everywhere apparent and undiminished. Fluid brushstrokes animate its surface with sensuously applied, vibrant color. In poignant contrast to Manet's ill health, his painting is a bright celebration of nature's vitality.
[monet1.cmp]
Claude Monet
b. 1840, Paris, France
d. 1926, Giverny, France
"Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," 1880
oil on canvas, 99.6 x 73 cm (39 1/4 x 28 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.181
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Claude Monet was one of the young artists who frequented the CafΘ Guerbois, where Edouard Manet and other members of the avant-garde discussed art and literature. Monet championed painting out-of-doors, "en plein air," as the only way to capture the sensory appearance of light and atmosphere. As a leading member of the impressionists, he adopted a painting style marked by broken brushwork and vibrant color.
In the mid-1850s Monet worked as a caricaturist. EugΦne Boudin saw the young artist's work and encouraged him to study art seriously. Despite his parents' reservations, Monet determined to become an artist. After a brief period in London during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet moved to the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil in 1872, where he painted "The Bridge at Argenteuil." From a distance, the brushstrokes in this painting blend together to form a convincing view of the boating activities on the Seine. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint--brilliant tones of blue, green, red, and yellow.
From the same period, "Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son" demonstrates Monet's equal skill as a figure painter. Contrary to the artificial conventions of academic portraiture, Monet delineated the features of his sitters as freely as their surroundings. "Woman with a Parasol" was painted outdoors, probably in a single session of several hours' duration. Monet intended this to look like a family outing rather than an artificially arranged portrait, using pose and placement to suggest that his wife and son interrupted their stroll while he captured their likenesses.
Monet planted gardens wherever he lived. When he rented a house at VΘtheuil in 1878, he made arrangements with his landlady to landscape the terraces seen in "The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," which led down to the Seine. On the path, the brilliant sunlight is dappled with shade that falls in blue, green, and plum tones. Figures and faces, including that of his young son, are defined with dashes of color. In a painting from the same year, "Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," the large, lushly portrayed flowers and leaves confirm Monet's love of horticulture.
In 1883, Monet relocated to Giverny, where he worked on several series of paintings depicting a single subject under varying light conditions. His themes included poplars, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and his own water gardens, which he had created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. "The Japanese Footbridge" is one of eighteen paintings in Monet's first series depicting the pond and gardens on his property. By this time, Monet had become increasingly interested in the painted surface itself and less concerned with capturing a spontaneous effect of light and atmosphere. Noting the pond's textures and colors with deft variations of touch, Monet distinguished reflected foliage, painted in choppy, vertical strokes, from the actual presence of flowers and lily pads, which he painted in horizontal drags of unblended pigments.
[monet2.cmp]
Claude Monet
b. 1840, Paris, France
d. 1926, Giverny, France
"The Bridge at Argenteuil," 1874
oil on canvas, 60 x 79.7 cm (23 5/8 x 31 3/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.24
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Claude Monet was one of the young artists who frequented the CafΘ Guerbois, where Edouard Manet and other members of the avant-garde discussed art and literature. Monet championed painting out-of-doors, "en plein air," as the only way to capture the sensory appearance of light and atmosphere. As a leading member of the impressionists, he adopted a painting style marked by broken brushwork and vibrant color.
In the mid-1850s Monet worked as a caricaturist. EugΦne Boudin saw the young artist's work and encouraged him to study art seriously. Despite his parents' reservations, Monet determined to become an artist. After a brief period in London during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet moved to the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil in 1872, where he painted "The Bridge at Argenteuil." From a distance, the brushstrokes in this painting blend together to form a convincing view of the boating activities on the Seine. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint--brilliant tones of blue, green, red, and yellow.
From the same period, "Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son" demonstrates Monet's equal skill as a figure painter. Contrary to the artificial conventions of academic portraiture, Monet delineated the features of his sitters as freely as their surroundings. "Woman with a Parasol" was painted outdoors, probably in a single session of several hours' duration. Monet intended this to look like a family outing rather than an artificially arranged portrait, using pose and placement to suggest that his wife and son interrupted their stroll while he captured their likenesses.
Monet planted gardens wherever he lived. When he rented a house at VΘtheuil in 1878, he made arrangements with his landlady to landscape the terraces seen in "The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," which led down to the Seine. On the path, the brilliant sunlight is dappled with shade that falls in blue, green, and plum tones. Figures and faces, including that of his young son, are defined with dashes of color. In a painting from the same year, "Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," the large, lushly portrayed flowers and leaves confirm Monet's love of horticulture.
In 1883, Monet relocated to Giverny, where he worked on several series of paintings depicting a single subject under varying light conditions. His themes included poplars, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and his own water gardens, which he had created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. "The Japanese Footbridge" is one of eighteen paintings in Monet's first series depicting the pond and gardens on his property. By this time, Monet had become increasingly interested in the painted surface itself and less concerned with capturing a spontaneous effect of light and atmosphere. Noting the pond's textures and colors with deft variations of touch, Monet distinguished reflected foliage, painted in choppy, vertical strokes, from the actual presence of flowers and lily pads, which he painted in horizontal drags of unblended pigments.
[monet3.cmp]
Claude Monet
b. 1840, Paris, France
d. 1926, Giverny, France
"The Japanese Footbridge," 1899
oil on canvas, 81.3 x 101.6 cm (32 x 40 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Victoria Nebeker Coberly, in memory of her son John W. Mudd, and Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg 1992.9.1
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Claude Monet was one of the young artists who frequented the CafΘ Guerbois, where Edouard Manet and other members of the avant-garde discussed art and literature. Monet championed painting out-of-doors, "en plein air," as the only way to capture the sensory appearance of light and atmosphere. As a leading member of the impressionists, he adopted a painting style marked by broken brushwork and vibrant color.
In the mid-1850s Monet worked as a caricaturist. EugΦne Boudin saw the young artist's work and encouraged him to study art seriously. Despite his parents' reservations, Monet determined to become an artist. After a brief period in London during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet moved to the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil in 1872, where he painted "The Bridge at Argenteuil." From a distance, the brushstrokes in this painting blend together to form a convincing view of the boating activities on the Seine. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint--brilliant tones of blue, green, red, and yellow.
From the same period, "Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son" demonstrates Monet's equal skill as a figure painter. Contrary to the artificial conventions of academic portraiture, Monet delineated the features of his sitters as freely as their surroundings. "Woman with a Parasol" was painted outdoors, probably in a single session of several hours' duration. Monet intended this to look like a family outing rather than an artificially arranged portrait, using pose and placement to suggest that his wife and son interrupted their stroll while he captured their likenesses.
Monet planted gardens wherever he lived. When he rented a house at VΘtheuil in 1878, he made arrangements with his landlady to landscape the terraces seen in "The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," which led down to the Seine. On the path, the brilliant sunlight is dappled with shade that falls in blue, green, and plum tones. Figures and faces, including that of his young son, are defined with dashes of color. In a painting from the same year, "Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," the large, lushly portrayed flowers and leaves confirm Monet's love of horticulture.
In 1883, Monet relocated to Giverny, where he worked on several series of paintings depicting a single subject under varying light conditions. His themes included poplars, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and his own water gardens, which he had created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. "The Japanese Footbridge" is one of eighteen paintings in Monet's first series depicting the pond and gardens on his property. By this time, Monet had become increasingly interested in the painted surface itself and less concerned with capturing a spontaneous effect of light and atmosphere. Noting the pond's textures and colors with deft variations of touch, Monet distinguished reflected foliage, painted in choppy, vertical strokes, from the actual presence of flowers and lily pads, which he painted in horizontal drags of unblended pigments.
[monet4.cmp]
Claude Monet
b. 1840, Paris, France
d. 1926, Giverny, France
"The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," 1880
oil on canvas, 151.4 x 121 cm (59 5/8 x 47 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.45
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Claude Monet was one of the young artists who frequented the CafΘ Guerbois, where Edouard Manet and other members of the avant-garde discussed art and literature. Monet championed painting out-of-doors, "en plein air," as the only way to capture the sensory appearance of light and atmosphere. As a leading member of the impressionists, he adopted a painting style marked by broken brushwork and vibrant color.
In the mid-1850s Monet worked as a caricaturist. EugΦne Boudin saw the young artist's work and encouraged him to study art seriously. Despite his parents' reservations, Monet determined to become an artist. After a brief period in London during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet moved to the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil in 1872, where he painted "The Bridge at Argenteuil." From a distance, the brushstrokes in this painting blend together to form a convincing view of the boating activities on the Seine. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint--brilliant tones of blue, green, red, and yellow.
From the same period, "Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son" demonstrates Monet's equal skill as a figure painter. Contrary to the artificial conventions of academic portraiture, Monet delineated the features of his sitters as freely as their surroundings. "Woman with a Parasol" was painted outdoors, probably in a single session of several hours' duration. Monet intended this to look like a family outing rather than an artificially arranged portrait, using pose and placement to suggest that his wife and son interrupted their stroll while he captured their likenesses.
Monet planted gardens wherever he lived. When he rented a house at VΘtheuil in 1878, he made arrangements with his landlady to landscape the terraces seen in "The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," which led down to the Seine. On the path, the brilliant sunlight is dappled with shade that falls in blue, green, and plum tones. Figures and faces, including that of his young son, are defined with dashes of color. In a painting from the same year, "Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," the large, lushly portrayed flowers and leaves confirm Monet's love of horticulture.
In 1883, Monet relocated to Giverny, where he worked on several series of paintings depicting a single subject under varying light conditions. His themes included poplars, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and his own water gardens, which he had created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. "The Japanese Footbridge" is one of eighteen paintings in Monet's first series depicting the pond and gardens on his property. By this time, Monet had become increasingly interested in the painted surface itself and less concerned with capturing a spontaneous effect of light and atmosphere. Noting the pond's textures and colors with deft variations of touch, Monet distinguished reflected foliage, painted in choppy, vertical strokes, from the actual presence of flowers and lily pads, which he painted in horizontal drags of unblended pigments.
[monet5.cmp]
Claude Monet
b. 1840, Paris, France
d. 1926, Giverny, France
"Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son," 1875
oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm (39 3/8 x 31 7/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.29
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Claude Monet was one of the young artists who frequented the CafΘ Guerbois, where Edouard Manet and other members of the avant-garde discussed art and literature. Monet championed painting out-of-doors, "en plein air," as the only way to capture the sensory appearance of light and atmosphere. As a leading member of the impressionists, he adopted a painting style marked by broken brushwork and vibrant color.
In the mid-1850s Monet worked as a caricaturist. EugΦne Boudin saw the young artist's work and encouraged him to study art seriously. Despite his parents' reservations, Monet determined to become an artist. After a brief period in London during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet moved to the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil in 1872, where he painted "The Bridge at Argenteuil." From a distance, the brushstrokes in this painting blend together to form a convincing view of the boating activities on the Seine. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint--brilliant tones of blue, green, red, and yellow.
From the same period, "Woman with a Parasol--Madame Monet and Her Son" demonstrates Monet's equal skill as a figure painter. Contrary to the artificial conventions of academic portraiture, Monet delineated the features of his sitters as freely as their surroundings. "Woman with a Parasol" was painted outdoors, probably in a single session of several hours' duration. Monet intended this to look like a family outing rather than an artificially arranged portrait, using pose and placement to suggest that his wife and son interrupted their stroll while he captured their likenesses.
Monet planted gardens wherever he lived. When he rented a house at VΘtheuil in 1878, he made arrangements with his landlady to landscape the terraces seen in "The Artist's Garden at VΘtheuil," which led down to the Seine. On the path, the brilliant sunlight is dappled with shade that falls in blue, green, and plum tones. Figures and faces, including that of his young son, are defined with dashes of color. In a painting from the same year, "Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers," the large, lushly portrayed flowers and leaves confirm Monet's love of horticulture.
In 1883, Monet relocated to Giverny, where he worked on several series of paintings depicting a single subject under varying light conditions. His themes included poplars, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and his own water gardens, which he had created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. "The Japanese Footbridge" is one of eighteen paintings in Monet's first series depicting the pond and gardens on his property. By this time, Monet had become increasingly interested in the painted surface itself and less concerned with capturing a spontaneous effect of light and atmosphere. Noting the pond's textures and colors with deft variations of touch, Monet distinguished reflected foliage, painted in choppy, vertical strokes, from the actual presence of flowers and lily pads, which he painted in horizontal drags of unblended pigments.
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Berthe Morisot
b. 1841, Bourges, France
d. 1895, Paris, France
"In the Dining Room," 1886
oil on canvas, 61.3 x 50 cm (24 1/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.185
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Morisot was born in Bourges, and moved with her family to Passy, on the western outskirts of Paris, in 1852. She grew up watching the dramatic transformation of Paris in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte's chief regional administrator, Baron Georges Haussmann. Thanks to him, the unspoiled landscape of the ancient Bois de Boulogne was rejuvenated, becoming a favorite spot in which Morisot painted and drew.
At a time when art was considered appropriate for young women only as an accomplishment, not as a profession, Morisot's mother encouraged her and her sister Edma to develop their talents seriously. The two young women took lessons from Joseph Guichard, who urged the Morisot sisters to study old master paintings at the Louvre, and to copy them to improve their technique. Around 1860, the Morisots met Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot after taking lessons in plein air painting, or painting outdoors, from his friend Achille Oudinot. Morisot inherited directly from Corot not only her blond palette and her delight in undisguised brushwork, but also an interest in small landscape studies with simply rendered figures.
In 1864, one of Morisot's paintings was accepted at the Salon. She continued to exhibit there until 1873. A friendship with the artist Edouard Manet developed from mutual admiration and respect, despite Manet's initial misgivings about women pursuing artistic careers. In 1874, the year of the first impressionist exhibition, Morisot married Manet's brother EugΦne. Although Edma had decided to give up her artistic career after marriage, Berthe chose to continue painting. Given the social pressure for women to stay at home and tend to household matters, her decision was not an easy one.
Like the other impressionists, Morisot recorded everyday life. Necessarily, however, her experiences were colored by her position as a woman in upper-middle class society. While her male counterparts frequented the cafΘs and nightclubs of the city, Morisot would not have had access to such places, nor would she have sought it. Morisot instead found inspiration in the interiors and domestic subjects that were familiar to her. Her penetrating eye provides a particularly insightful view of the psyche of her sitters, who are often caught up in their own thoughts. When Morisot's daughter Julie was born in 1878, she became one of the artist's favorite subjects.
In "In the Dining Room," a young female servant pauses in her daily activities. Her face toward the wall, the young woman is left to her own thoughts while the viewer is free to inspect the room. Morisot's loose, expressive brushwork creates a shimmering play of light, transforming a clutter of mundane objects. Tableware, porcelain, bread, and a rustic cupboard become a faceted, jewel-like realm of color.
As one of the founding members of the impressionists, Morisot continued to bring the group together for intellectual discussion during her Thursday night soirΘes. Guests often included artists, such as Degas, Renoir, Caillebotte, and Monet, as well as writers, including Emile Zola, StΘphane MallarmΘ, and ThΘodore Duret.
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Camille Pissarro
b. 1830, St. Thomas, formerly Danish West Indies
d. 1903, Paris, France
"Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight," 1897
oil on canvas, 73.2 x 92.1 cm (28 7/8 x 36 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.198
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Camille Pissarro was principally a landscape painter, although he also executed figure studies and, occasionally, portraits. He was committed to socialist principles and identified strongly with the land and with the peasant farmers who worked it. Born in the West Indies, Pissarro moved to France with his family in 1855. As a young man he was obliged to help his family financially, and spent his spare time teaching himself to paint. Although he had paintings accepted at the Salon in 1859 and in the early 1860s, he became embittered with the academic system. He began to paint in a looser style, and became increasingly concerned with the effects of reflected light.
Lack of sales frustrated Pissarro, and he painted fans and made prints in an attempt to increase his income. When the idea arose for a group exhibition of work by the artists who would come to be called impressionists, Pissarro and Alfred Sisley were among the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters. Pissarro drafted the group's written statement of purpose, and would be the only artist to participate in all eight impressionist exhibitions. While many of his fellow impressionists chose subjects from modern life and leisure, Pissarro preferred scenes of an older, more rural way of life.
By the 1880s his canvases were selling again; he began working in a new style, applying thick layers of paint in small cross-hatched strokes. He experimented briefly with the pointillist style adopted by Georges Seurat, but, finding the systematic application of small dots too rigid, reverted to his looser impressionist style. In "The Artist's Garden at Eragny," Pissarro used descriptive brushstrokes of varying sizes to depict the view from his studio at Eragny-sur-Epte in northwestern France. The flowered hedges and rows of plantings fluctuate between recognizable flora and patches of pure, brilliant color; even the house and garden fence do not so much describe architectural features as reveal a celebration of blues and pinks. Another late painting, "Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight," once again focuses on the shimmering play of light, this time on a busy Parisian boulevard. The unusual bird's-eye perspective, the blur of amorphous figures and traffic that convey the rush and flux of modern life, and the small, unblended touches of color all reflect the spontaneity of early impressionism.
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Camille Pissarro
b. 1830, St. Thomas, formerly Danish West Indies
d. 1903, Paris, France
"The Artist's Garden at Eragny," 1898
oil on canvas, 73.6 x 92.3 cm (29 x 36 3/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.54
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Camille Pissarro was principally a landscape painter, although he also executed figure studies and, occasionally, portraits. He was committed to socialist principles and identified strongly with the land and with the peasant farmers who worked it. Born in the West Indies, Pissarro moved to France with his family in 1855. As a young man he was obliged to help his family financially, and spent his spare time teaching himself to paint. Although he had paintings accepted at the Salon in 1859 and in the early 1860s, he became embittered with the academic system. He began to paint in a looser style, and became increasingly concerned with the effects of reflected light.
Lack of sales frustrated Pissarro, and he painted fans and made prints in an attempt to increase his income. When the idea arose for a group exhibition of work by the artists who would come to be called impressionists, Pissarro and Alfred Sisley were among the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters. Pissarro drafted the group's written statement of purpose, and would be the only artist to participate in all eight impressionist exhibitions. While many of his fellow impressionists chose subjects from modern life and leisure, Pissarro preferred scenes of an older, more rural way of life.
By the 1880s his canvases were selling again; he began working in a new style, applying thick layers of paint in small cross-hatched strokes. He experimented briefly with the pointillist style adopted by Georges Seurat, but, finding the systematic application of small dots too rigid, reverted to his looser impressionist style. In "The Artist's Garden at Eragny," Pissarro used descriptive brushstrokes of varying sizes to depict the view from his studio at Eragny-sur-Epte in northwestern France. The flowered hedges and rows of plantings fluctuate between recognizable flora and patches of pure, brilliant color; even the house and garden fence do not so much describe architectural features as reveal a celebration of blues and pinks. Another late painting, "Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight," once again focuses on the shimmering play of light, this time on a busy Parisian boulevard. The unusual bird's-eye perspective, the blur of amorphous figures and traffic that convey the rush and flux of modern life, and the small, unblended touches of color all reflect the spontaneity of early impressionism.
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Auguste Renoir
b. 1841, Limoges, France
d. 1919, Cagnes, France
"Flowers in a Vase," c. 1866
oil on canvas, 81.3 x 65.1 cm (32 x 25 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.32
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
With Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir developed the impressionist style of painting in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Their technique made use of broken brushstrokes and bold combinations of colors in order to capture light and movement. Using color, not modeling from light to dark, the impressionists recorded with rapid brushwork the fleeting effect of changing seasons, weather, and times of day.
Renoir was born in Limoges in southwest France, where as a teenager he was apprenticed to a porcelain painter. Between 1861 and 1864 he attended Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met Monet, Alfred Sisley, and FrΘdΘric Bazille. Around 1866, Renoir painted "Flowers in a Vase," which demonstrates the artist's experimentation with new methods of applying paint. The energetic brushstrokes and bright touches of color would become central to the impressionist style.
Beginning in 1874, Renoir exhibited in several of the impressionists' independent shows. Opposed to the principles and requirements of the official Salon, the impressionists determined to display their work anyway. Among the 165 works hung in the first impressionist exhibition was Renoir's "The Dancer." Dressed in a pale blue costume, a young model poses gracefully in a traditional ballet position. Light, airy colors and the filmy, billowing skirt suggest a fleeting moment. Nevertheless, the young girl's portrait-like stance and wide-eyed innocence also recall an older tradition of painting that Renoir never relinquished entirely.
The harsh reception of the first impressionist group exhibition and the disastrous results of an auction that Renoir optimistically organized in 1875 placed him in dire financial straits. Perhaps as a remedy, he began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. In "A Girl with a Watering Can," Renoir displays his mature impressionist style. His colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while he applies his brushstrokes with regular, delicate touches. Brilliant, light-filled hues envelop the little girl in an atmosphere of warmth and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.
As did the other impressionists, Renoir also found inspiration in studying the everyday events of modern life. In "Oarsmen at Chatou," he presents a lively scene of young Parisians enjoying their leisure time at Chatou, a village on the western outskirts of Paris. The painting captures the brilliance of sun and water, summer and youth. In the water, strokes of strong blues and white alternate. Renoir enhances their shimmering intensity through the equally strong presence of orange in the boat's reflection and in the scarlet accent of the young woman's bow.
In the early 1880s, Renoir began to move toward a more classicizing phase. His later style was indebted to the work of the academic painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and combined more disciplined lines with soft, almost transparent glazes of paint. From the late 1890s until his death, Renoir's chief subjects were his family and circle of acquaintances along with landscapes and still lifes.
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Auguste Renoir
b. 1841, Limoges, France
d. 1919, Cagnes, France
"A Girl with a Watering Can," 1876
oil on canvas, 100.3 x 73.2 cm (39 1/2 x 28 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.206
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
With Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir developed the impressionist style of painting in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Their technique made use of broken brushstrokes and bold combinations of colors in order to capture light and movement. Using color, not modeling from light to dark, the impressionists recorded with rapid brushwork the fleeting effect of changing seasons, weather, and times of day.
Renoir was born in Limoges in southwest France, where as a teenager he was apprenticed to a porcelain painter. Between 1861 and 1864 he attended Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met Monet, Alfred Sisley, and FrΘdΘric Bazille. Around 1866, Renoir painted "Flowers in a Vase," which demonstrates the artist's experimentation with new methods of applying paint. The energetic brushstrokes and bright touches of color would become central to the impressionist style.
Beginning in 1874, Renoir exhibited in several of the impressionists' independent shows. Opposed to the principles and requirements of the official Salon, the impressionists determined to display their work anyway. Among the 165 works hung in the first impressionist exhibition was Renoir's "The Dancer." Dressed in a pale blue costume, a young model poses gracefully in a traditional ballet position. Light, airy colors and the filmy, billowing skirt suggest a fleeting moment. Nevertheless, the young girl's portrait-like stance and wide-eyed innocence also recall an older tradition of painting that Renoir never relinquished entirely.
The harsh reception of the first impressionist group exhibition and the disastrous results of an auction that Renoir optimistically organized in 1875 placed him in dire financial straits. Perhaps as a remedy, he began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. In "A Girl with a Watering Can," Renoir displays his mature impressionist style. His colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while he applies his brushstrokes with regular, delicate touches. Brilliant, light-filled hues envelop the little girl in an atmosphere of warmth and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.
As did the other impressionists, Renoir also found inspiration in studying the everyday events of modern life. In "Oarsmen at Chatou," he presents a lively scene of young Parisians enjoying their leisure time at Chatou, a village on the western outskirts of Paris. The painting captures the brilliance of sun and water, summer and youth. In the water, strokes of strong blues and white alternate. Renoir enhances their shimmering intensity through the equally strong presence of orange in the boat's reflection and in the scarlet accent of the young woman's bow.
In the early 1880s, Renoir began to move toward a more classicizing phase. His later style was indebted to the work of the academic painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and combined more disciplined lines with soft, almost transparent glazes of paint. From the late 1890s until his death, Renoir's chief subjects were his family and circle of acquaintances along with landscapes and still lifes.
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Auguste Renoir
b. 1841, Limoges, France
d. 1919, Cagnes, France
"Oarsmen at Chatou," 1879
oil on linen, 81.3 x 100.3 cm (32 x 39 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Sam A. Lewisohn 1951.5.2
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
With Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir developed the impressionist style of painting in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Their technique made use of broken brushstrokes and bold combinations of colors in order to capture light and movement. Using color, not modeling from light to dark, the impressionists recorded with rapid brushwork the fleeting effect of changing seasons, weather, and times of day.
Renoir was born in Limoges in southwest France, where as a teenager he was apprenticed to a porcelain painter. Between 1861 and 1864 he attended Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met Monet, Alfred Sisley, and FrΘdΘric Bazille. Around 1866, Renoir painted "Flowers in a Vase," which demonstrates the artist's experimentation with new methods of applying paint. The energetic brushstrokes and bright touches of color would become central to the impressionist style.
Beginning in 1874, Renoir exhibited in several of the impressionists' independent shows. Opposed to the principles and requirements of the official Salon, the impressionists determined to display their work anyway. Among the 165 works hung in the first impressionist exhibition was Renoir's "The Dancer." Dressed in a pale blue costume, a young model poses gracefully in a traditional ballet position. Light, airy colors and the filmy, billowing skirt suggest a fleeting moment. Nevertheless, the young girl's portrait-like stance and wide-eyed innocence also recall an older tradition of painting that Renoir never relinquished entirely.
The harsh reception of the first impressionist group exhibition and the disastrous results of an auction that Renoir optimistically organized in 1875 placed him in dire financial straits. Perhaps as a remedy, he began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. In "A Girl with a Watering Can," Renoir displays his mature impressionist style. His colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while he applies his brushstrokes with regular, delicate touches. Brilliant, light-filled hues envelop the little girl in an atmosphere of warmth and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.
As did the other impressionists, Renoir also found inspiration in studying the everyday events of modern life. In "Oarsmen at Chatou," he presents a lively scene of young Parisians enjoying their leisure time at Chatou, a village on the western outskirts of Paris. The painting captures the brilliance of sun and water, summer and youth. In the water, strokes of strong blues and white alternate. Renoir enhances their shimmering intensity through the equally strong presence of orange in the boat's reflection and in the scarlet accent of the young woman's bow.
In the early 1880s, Renoir began to move toward a more classicizing phase. His later style was indebted to the work of the academic painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and combined more disciplined lines with soft, almost transparent glazes of paint. From the late 1890s until his death, Renoir's chief subjects were his family and circle of acquaintances along with landscapes and still lifes.
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Auguste Renoir
b. 1841, Limoges, France
d. 1919, Cagnes, France
"The Dancer," 1874
oil on canvas, 142.5 x 94.5 cm (56 1/8 x 37 1/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Widener Collection 1942.9.72
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
With Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir developed the impressionist style of painting in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Their technique made use of broken brushstrokes and bold combinations of colors in order to capture light and movement. Using color, not modeling from light to dark, the impressionists recorded with rapid brushwork the fleeting effect of changing seasons, weather, and times of day.
Renoir was born in Limoges in southwest France, where as a teenager he was apprenticed to a porcelain painter. Between 1861 and 1864 he attended Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met Monet, Alfred Sisley, and FrΘdΘric Bazille. Around 1866, Renoir painted "Flowers in a Vase," which demonstrates the artist's experimentation with new methods of applying paint. The energetic brushstrokes and bright touches of color would become central to the impressionist style.
Beginning in 1874, Renoir exhibited in several of the impressionists' independent shows. Opposed to the principles and requirements of the official Salon, the impressionists determined to display their work anyway. Among the 165 works hung in the first impressionist exhibition was Renoir's "The Dancer." Dressed in a pale blue costume, a young model poses gracefully in a traditional ballet position. Light, airy colors and the filmy, billowing skirt suggest a fleeting moment. Nevertheless, the young girl's portrait-like stance and wide-eyed innocence also recall an older tradition of painting that Renoir never relinquished entirely.
The harsh reception of the first impressionist group exhibition and the disastrous results of an auction that Renoir optimistically organized in 1875 placed him in dire financial straits. Perhaps as a remedy, he began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. In "A Girl with a Watering Can," Renoir displays his mature impressionist style. His colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while he applies his brushstrokes with regular, delicate touches. Brilliant, light-filled hues envelop the little girl in an atmosphere of warmth and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.
As did the other impressionists, Renoir also found inspiration in studying the everyday events of modern life. In "Oarsmen at Chatou," he presents a lively scene of young Parisians enjoying their leisure time at Chatou, a village on the western outskirts of Paris. The painting captures the brilliance of sun and water, summer and youth. In the water, strokes of strong blues and white alternate. Renoir enhances their shimmering intensity through the equally strong presence of orange in the boat's reflection and in the scarlet accent of the young woman's bow.
In the early 1880s, Renoir began to move toward a more classicizing phase. His later style was indebted to the work of the academic painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and combined more disciplined lines with soft, almost transparent glazes of paint. From the late 1890s until his death, Renoir's chief subjects were his family and circle of acquaintances along with landscapes and still lifes.
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Henri Rousseau
b. 1844, Laval, France
d. 1910, Paris, France
"Tropical Forest with Monkeys," 1910
oil on canvas, 129.5 x 162.6 cm (51 x 64 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
John Hay Whitney Collection 1982.76.7
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
A self-taught artist associated with the European naive tradition of painting, Henri Rousseau is probably best known for his fantasy jungle pictures. Obsessive detail, distortions of scale and perspective, and an emphasis on flat, decorative patterns distinguish his early work. Later, Rousseau combined these elements with the smooth, blended paint technique of traditional Salon painters to create startlingly inventive works.
From 1871 to 1885 Rousseau worked as an inspector at a toll station in the outskirts of Paris, which earned him the name "Le Douanier," meaning customs officer. After retiring, Rousseau was able to paint full-time, and began exhibiting at the Salon des IndΘpendants from 1886.
"Tropical Forest with Monkeys," finished only months before Rousseau's death, captures the imagination and originality of his style. An intricate network of overlapping plant leaves forms a series of rhythmic shapes. Flattened patterns and areas of pure color create the effect of a woven tapestry, though the high gloss of the paint also suggests a porcelain or enamel finish.
Easily missed at first glance, two large apes sit in the foreground while a brown macaque cools its feet in a stream. Nearby, a white-fringed langur perches on a branch. Further back, two golden gibbons and a black monkey frolic in the trees. Rousseau adds a bit of whimsy to the composition by giving some of the animals long reeds that look like fishing poles. He negates this humorous aspect, however, by including a monstrous black serpent at the lower left corner. All five apes stare fearfully as the snake flicks its tongue and slithers forward.
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Georges Seurat
b. 1859, Paris, France
d. 1891, Paris, France
"Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy," 1888
oil on canvas, 65.1 x 80.9 cm (25 5/8 x 31 7/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of
Marie N. Harriman 1972.9.21
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Georges Seurat began drawing and sculpting while still in school. Upon entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1878, he demonstrated a particular interest in the intellectual and scientific basis of art. Having embraced new theories about the optical characteristics of light and color, Seurat developed a technique called neo-impressionism, or divisionism, that sought to describe light and color through a scientifically objective form. Theoretically, small dots of pure color placed next to one another would blend together in the viewer's eye, creating a luminosity that would not be possible by simply mixing intermediate colors on a palette. At the same time, Seurat's aesthetic theories extended beyond mere appearance to mood, which he achieved through tone, tint, and line.
After completing his most controversial work, "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande-Jatte," in 1886 for the last impressionist exhibition, Seurat had established himself as a leading modernist painter. He spent the following summer at Honfleur, a coastal resort near Le Havre. During his stay, he relaxed by painting local landmarks such as the hospice and lighthouse in "The Lighthouse at Honfleur." Balancing the warm golden tones in the sand and lighthouse with cool blues in the sky and water, Seurat constructed a stable composition around the horizontals of the jetty and horizon crossed by the vertical tower. The sawhorse in the foreground introduces the theme of crosscut angles, which is repeated in the boats, roofs, shoreline, and even the shadows on the sand.
As he often did, Seurat spent the summer of 1888 away from the city. In Port-en-Bessin, a fishing village on the northern coast of France, he painted "Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy." The composition is so accurately observed and recorded that Seurat must have climbed the headlands west of town to plant his easel. There, he faced west toward the Cotentin peninsula to depict the sloping cliffs and the sea lighted by the afterglow of sunset.
In addition to their striking fidelity to the terrain, Seurat's Port-en-Bessin paintings equally demonstrate the effectiveness of the artist's aesthetic principles. Seurat apparently intended this painting to express sadness. He carefully applied tones, colors, and lines to correspond to the mood of the landscape: "Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy" is relatively dark, cool blues and greens dominate, and the undulating profile of the cliffs falls diagonally toward the sea. The sun has set, and dark clouds press down over a single ship in the distance. Absolutely devoid of movement, the painting seems both silent and melancholy.
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Georges Seurat
b. 1859, Paris, France
d. 1891, Paris, France
"The Lighthouse at Honfleur," 1886
oil on canvas, 66.7 x 81.9 cm (26 1/4 x 32 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.33
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Georges Seurat began drawing and sculpting while still in school. Upon entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1878, he demonstrated a particular interest in the intellectual and scientific basis of art. Having embraced new theories about the optical characteristics of light and color, Seurat developed a technique called neo-impressionism, or divisionism, that sought to describe light and color through a scientifically objective form. Theoretically, small dots of pure color placed next to one another would blend together in the viewer's eye, creating a luminosity that would not be possible by simply mixing intermediate colors on a palette. At the same time, Seurat's aesthetic theories extended beyond mere appearance to mood, which he achieved through tone, tint, and line.
After completing his most controversial work, "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande-Jatte," in 1886 for the last impressionist exhibition, Seurat had established himself as a leading modernist painter. He spent the following summer at Honfleur, a coastal resort near Le Havre. During his stay, he relaxed by painting local landmarks such as the hospice and lighthouse in "The Lighthouse at Honfleur." Balancing the warm golden tones in the sand and lighthouse with cool blues in the sky and water, Seurat constructed a stable composition around the horizontals of the jetty and horizon crossed by the vertical tower. The sawhorse in the foreground introduces the theme of crosscut angles, which is repeated in the boats, roofs, shoreline, and even the shadows on the sand.
As he often did, Seurat spent the summer of 1888 away from the city. In Port-en-Bessin, a fishing village on the northern coast of France, he painted "Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy." The composition is so accurately observed and recorded that Seurat must have climbed the headlands west of town to plant his easel. There, he faced west toward the Cotentin peninsula to depict the sloping cliffs and the sea lighted by the afterglow of sunset.
In addition to their striking fidelity to the terrain, Seurat's Port-en-Bessin paintings equally demonstrate the effectiveness of the artist's aesthetic principles. Seurat apparently intended this painting to express sadness. He carefully applied tones, colors, and lines to correspond to the mood of the landscape: "Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy" is relatively dark, cool blues and greens dominate, and the undulating profile of the cliffs falls diagonally toward the sea. The sun has set, and dark clouds press down over a single ship in the distance. Absolutely devoid of movement, the painting seems both silent and melancholy.
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Alfred Sisley
b. 1839, Paris, France
d. 1899, Moret-sur-Loing, France
"Flood at Port-Marly," 1872
oil on canvas, 46.4 x 61 cm (18 1/4 x 24 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1985.64.38
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Of all the impressionists, Alfred Sisley was the one most committed to landscape and to the impressionist style in its purest form. He never abandoned, even temporarily, impressionism's goal of capturing the transient effects of light and atmosphere.
Sisley was born in Paris to British parents whose finances were destroyed by the Franco-Prussian War. Sisley met Claude Monet while they were students of the academic painter Charles Gleyre. With Renoir, FrΘdΘric Bazille, and Pissarro, they formulated the essential concerns of impressionism. During the 1860s, Sisley had several paintings accepted by the Salon, but by 1870 he had developed the broken brushwork, light palette, and interest in depicting modern life that characterized impressionism.
In December 1872, the Seine overflowed its banks at the small village of Port-Marly. The opportunity to paint the watery reflections of a sky heavy with rain lured both Monet and Sisley. Traditionally, artists used scenes of flood to communicate the drama and destructive power of nature. Sisley, however, was interested in visual effects only. He painted "Flood at Port-Marly" on the spot, probably in a single session. The colors are the muted and nuanced tones Sisley preferred, and the shapes of his brushstrokes change in response to the different textures of light and the landscape: gliding ripples in the watery reflections, broad square blocks of pigment in the window panes.
In 1874, the impressionists began showing their work at independent group exhibitions. Sisley demonstrates his pure impressionist technique in "Road in the Woods" of 1879. There are no carefully drawn forms or outlines; rather, Sisley has woven a texture of small touches of paint that break up the light across the painting's surface. Unfortunately, despite his strict adherence to impressionist principles, Sisley never received the recognition eventually enjoyed by the rest of the impressionist painters.
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Alfred Sisley
b. 1839, Paris, France
d. 1899, Moret-sur-Loing, France
"The Road in the Woods," 1879
oil on canvas, 46.3 x 55.8 cm (18 1/4 x 22 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.215
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Of all the impressionists, Alfred Sisley was the one most committed to landscape and to the impressionist style in its purest form. He never abandoned, even temporarily, impressionism's goal of capturing the transient effects of light and atmosphere.
Sisley was born in Paris to British parents whose finances were destroyed by the Franco-Prussian War. Sisley met Claude Monet while they were students of the academic painter Charles Gleyre. With Renoir, FrΘdΘric Bazille, and Pissarro, they formulated the essential concerns of impressionism. During the 1860s, Sisley had several paintings accepted by the Salon, but by 1870 he had developed the broken brushwork, light palette, and interest in depicting modern life that characterized impressionism.
In December 1872, the Seine overflowed its banks at the small village of Port-Marly. The opportunity to paint the watery reflections of a sky heavy with rain lured both Monet and Sisley. Traditionally, artists used scenes of flood to communicate the drama and destructive power of nature. Sisley, however, was interested in visual effects only. He painted "Flood at Port-Marly" on the spot, probably in a single session. The colors are the muted and nuanced tones Sisley preferred, and the shapes of his brushstrokes change in response to the different textures of light and the landscape: gliding ripples in the watery reflections, broad square blocks of pigment in the window panes.
In 1874, the impressionists began showing their work at independent group exhibitions. Sisley demonstrates his pure impressionist technique in "Road in the Woods" of 1879. There are no carefully drawn forms or outlines; rather, Sisley has woven a texture of small touches of paint that break up the light across the painting's surface. Unfortunately, despite his strict adherence to impressionist principles, Sisley never received the recognition eventually enjoyed by the rest of the impressionist painters.
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
b. 1864, Albi, France
d. 1901, ChΓteau de Malrome, France
"Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge," 1892
oil on cardboard, 80.1 x 60.5 cm (31 1/2 x 23 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.221
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
The seamy underside of the Parisian demimonde, the singers, dancers, and patrons of Montmartre nightclubs, the notorious whores of the district and their clients, were Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's principal subjects. A member of one of France's great aristocratic families, Lautrec was afflicted in youth by injuries that stunted his growth. He was encouraged to draw during his long convalescence and permitted professional training in an academic studio, which he deserted to embrace modernism. Lautrec particularly admired Degas and emulated his unusual perspectives and gritty social realism. He mastered the new medium of color lithography and produced an impressive body of posters and printed illustrations that share an incisive linear quality.
Isolated by his painful physical deformity, Lautrec became an alcoholic and a denizen of dance halls and nightclubs in Montmartre, a poor working class neighborhood untouched by Baron Haussmann's renovations of Paris. Alienation made Lautrec a keen observer of the Parisian demimonde. The men and women in "A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette," for example, are lost in solitary reflection. We see them close up, as if Lautrec's aggressive perspective has pressed us against the scene, yet the crowded bar seems strangely silent and the figures emotionally removed from one another. With simplified color and line, Lautrec summarizes rather than elaborates his settings and characters.
The Moulin Rouge, the setting of "Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge," reigned supreme among Montmartre's dance halls, offering performances by the most illustrious "cafΘ artistes" of the period. Here Lautrec has recorded a group of dancers lining up to begin the quadrille, a vigorous and complex derivation of the cancan. The scene is dominated by the striking figure of Gabrielle, whose puffy, rouged face, crude expression, and garish dress are in vivid contrast to the demure attractiveness of the young woman whom she faces. With neither moral judgment nor idealization, Lautrec has deftly captured the physical and spiritual essence of the now aging dance-hall queen. Her skirts hoisted, her hands on her hips, and her feet planted firmly on the floor, Gabrielle stands in defiance when confronted by the two ephemeral qualities--youth and beauty--which she no longer possesses and which threaten her security in the tawdry world that she rules. The gaudy atmosphere and forced gaiety of the scene are effectively heightened by the green pallor that pervades the whole, contrasting acidly with pinks and oranges. These colors simulate the smoky interiors lit by early electric lights, which cast a harsh greenish tonality.
Despite his own dissolution, self-pity did not play a part in Lautrec's observations. He enjoyed the hurly-burly of men and women. Day and night he drew and painted his "comΘdie humaine." For an artist who lived only thirty-seven years, the corpus of his work is enormous. More than any other painter he has given us our imagery of Paris and Parisians at the turn of the century. By the end of the century Lautrec's alcoholism became acute; he was institutionalized in 1899 and died two years later.
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
b. 1864, Albi, France
d. 1901, ChΓteau de Malrome, France
"A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette," 1892
oil on cardboard, 100 x 89.2 cm (39 3/8 x 35 1/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.67
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
The seamy underside of the Parisian demimonde, the singers, dancers, and patrons of Montmartre nightclubs, the notorious whores of the district and their clients, were Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's principal subjects. A member of one of France's great aristocratic families, Lautrec was afflicted in youth by injuries that stunted his growth. He was encouraged to draw during his long convalescence and permitted professional training in an academic studio, which he deserted to embrace modernism. Lautrec particularly admired Degas and emulated his unusual perspectives and gritty social realism. He mastered the new medium of color lithography and produced an impressive body of posters and printed illustrations that share an incisive linear quality.
Isolated by his painful physical deformity, Lautrec became an alcoholic and a denizen of dance halls and nightclubs in Montmartre, a poor working class neighborhood untouched by Baron Haussmann's renovations of Paris. Alienation made Lautrec a keen observer of the Parisian demimonde. The men and women in "A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette," for example, are lost in solitary reflection. We see them close up, as if Lautrec's aggressive perspective has pressed us against the scene, yet the crowded bar seems strangely silent and the figures emotionally removed from one another. With simplified color and line, Lautrec summarizes rather than elaborates his settings and characters.
The Moulin Rouge, the setting of "Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge," reigned supreme among Montmartre's dance halls, offering performances by the most illustrious "cafΘ artistes" of the period. Here Lautrec has recorded a group of dancers lining up to begin the quadrille, a vigorous and complex derivation of the cancan. The scene is dominated by the striking figure of Gabrielle, whose puffy, rouged face, crude expression, and garish dress are in vivid contrast to the demure attractiveness of the young woman whom she faces. With neither moral judgment nor idealization, Lautrec has deftly captured the physical and spiritual essence of the now aging dance-hall queen. Her skirts hoisted, her hands on her hips, and her feet planted firmly on the floor, Gabrielle stands in defiance when confronted by the two ephemeral qualities--youth and beauty--which she no longer possesses and which threaten her security in the tawdry world that she rules. The gaudy atmosphere and forced gaiety of the scene are effectively heightened by the green pallor that pervades the whole, contrasting acidly with pinks and oranges. These colors simulate the smoky interiors lit by early electric lights, which cast a harsh greenish tonality.
Despite his own dissolution, self-pity did not play a part in Lautrec's observations. He enjoyed the hurly-burly of men and women. Day and night he drew and painted his "comΘdie humaine." For an artist who lived only thirty-seven years, the corpus of his work is enormous. More than any other painter he has given us our imagery of Paris and Parisians at the turn of the century. By the end of the century Lautrec's alcoholism became acute; he was institutionalized in 1899 and died two years later.
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Vincent van Gogh
b. 1853, Groot-Zundert, Netherlands
d. 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France
"Farmhouse in Provence," 1888
canvas, 46.1 x 60.9 cm (18 1/8 x 24 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.34
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Although Vincent van Gogh now enjoys a reputation as one of the most popular artists in the world, his work went virtually unnoticed during his lifetime. Through his expressive use of brilliant color and energetic application of thick strokes of paint, Van Gogh played out emotional dramas on the surface of his canvases.
Van Gogh was born in Holland, the son of a pastor. As a young man he worked as a preacher and, like his brother Theo, as an art dealer. By 1881 he began to paint seriously, receiving steady economic assistance from Theo. As an art student, he expressed an interest in Japanese prints, which manifested itself in the broad outlines and flat planes of his paintings. In "La MousmΘ" (which means "Japanese girl"), Van Gogh depicts a young Provenτal girl whose costume reflects a contrast of patterns often seen in Japanese prints. Bold stripes and dots of paint stand out against a lattice of vertical and horizontal brushstrokes that form the pale green background.
Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886, and became part of the avant-garde art community, meeting the painters Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, and Georges Seurat. In 1888 he settled in Arles, in the south of France, hoping, in part, that the warm climate would benefit his poor health. The strong light and vivid colors of the landscape impressed him and can be seen in his work. In "Farmhouse in Provence" rhythmic swirls and flourishes charge the placid farmyard with nervous energy. Pure red wildflowers dot the spiky green foliage, enlivening the foreground. The contrast between the bulky, irregular haystacks and the spare, angular house and gateposts in "Farmhouse in Provence" must have appealed to the artist; this is one of several paintings and drawings he made of the same house, gate, and haystacks.
At Van Gogh's invitation, Gauguin joined him in Arles, but the two quarreled and separated after only a short time. The following year Van Gogh committed himself to a sanitarium at Saint-RΘmy, and repeated illness kept him in and out of the hospital. In 1890, he moved to Auvers, where, depressed and impoverished, he shot himself.
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Vincent van Gogh
b. 1853, Groot-Zundert, Netherlands
d. 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France
"La MousmΘ," 1888
oil on canvas, 73.3 x 60.3 cm (28 7/8 x 23 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.151
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Although Vincent van Gogh now enjoys a reputation as one of the most popular artists in the world, his work went virtually unnoticed during his lifetime. Through his expressive use of brilliant color and energetic application of thick strokes of paint, Van Gogh played out emotional dramas on the surface of his canvases.
Van Gogh was born in Holland, the son of a pastor. As a young man he worked as a preacher and, like his brother Theo, as an art dealer. By 1881 he began to paint seriously, receiving steady economic assistance from Theo. As an art student, he expressed an interest in Japanese prints, which manifested itself in the broad outlines and flat planes of his paintings. In "La MousmΘ" (which means "Japanese girl"), Van Gogh depicts a young Provenτal girl whose costume reflects a contrast of patterns often seen in Japanese prints. Bold stripes and dots of paint stand out against a lattice of vertical and horizontal brushstrokes that form the pale green background.
Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886, and became part of the avant-garde art community, meeting the painters Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, and Georges Seurat. In 1888 he settled in Arles, in the south of France, hoping, in part, that the warm climate would benefit his poor health. The strong light and vivid colors of the landscape impressed him and can be seen in his work. In "Farmhouse in Provence" rhythmic swirls and flourishes charge the placid farmyard with nervous energy. Pure red wildflowers dot the spiky green foliage, enlivening the foreground. The contrast between the bulky, irregular haystacks and the spare, angular house and gateposts in "Farmhouse in Provence" must have appealed to the artist; this is one of several paintings and drawings he made of the same house, gate, and haystacks.
At Van Gogh's invitation, Gauguin joined him in Arles, but the two quarreled and separated after only a short time. The following year Van Gogh committed himself to a sanitarium at Saint-RΘmy, and repeated illness kept him in and out of the hospital. In 1890, he moved to Auvers, where, depressed and impoverished, he shot himself.
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Edouard Vuillard
b. 1868, Cuiseaux, France
d. 1940, La Baule, France
"Woman in a Striped Dress," 1895
oil on canvas, 65.7 x 58.7 cm (25 7/8 x 23 1/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.38
⌐ 1995 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Edouard Vuillard belonged to a quasi-mystical group of young artists that arose in about 1890 and called themselves the Nabis, after the Hebrew word for prophets. The Nabis rejected impressionism and considered that attempting to transcribe the appearance of the natural world was both unthinking and unartistic. Inspired by Gauguin's work and symbolist poetry, their paintings evoke rather than define, suggest rather than describe.
Vuillard specialized in intimate, domestic interior scenes. He lived with his mother, who worked at home as a seamstress, and often included her in his work. After attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Vuillard studied at the AcadΘmie Julian where he met Pierre Bonnard and other painters with whom he founded the Nabis.
"Woman in a Striped Dress" is one of five decorations Vuillard painted in 1895 for ThadΘe Natanson, publisher of the avant-garde journal "La Revue Blanche," and his wife Misia Godebska, an accomplished pianist. This painting demonstrates the rich harmonies in a restricted range of color and intricate patterns that characterize Vuillard's style. The introspective woman arranging flowers perhaps represents the redhead Misia, whom the artist admired greatly. Vuillard adopted the symbolist idea of synesthesia, whereby one sense can evoke another, and in "Woman in a Striped Dress," the sumptuous reds may suggest the lush chords of music that Misia performed.
By the end of the century, the Nabis had disbanded and Vuillard returned to a more naturalistic style. He often executed large decorative schemes, including stage scenery, throughout the rest of his career. Widely admired as an artist, Vuillard enjoyed a steady flow of commissions after the turn of the century.
