Starry Night in San Francisco

This weekend, we spent a day in San Francisco and saw Part II of the Impressionist Exhibit at the De Young Museum. This later half included a few later paintings by Cezanne, Renoir and some of the original Impressionist artists; but mostly showed how the painters who came after them took what their predecessors had done and came up with their own style.

Movements by the Nabi, Symbolists, and Pointillist groups were described, and crowds came out to view major works by Gauguin, Van Gogh, and more. Tickets got quite difficult to come by, and tickets for Saturday sold out a week beforehand. By far, the most crowded wing was that spotlighting the work of Van Gogh.

Above is a self-portrait by the artist, whose painting career lasting a surprisingly brief 10 years, during which he was plagued by unpopularity both with the public and with other painters due to his eccentric ways. (He died at age 37.) Up close, his eyes look like two hollow holes drilled into his face.

While living in Paris as a painter (a painting of his own room above), Van Gogh was financially dependent on his brother Theo, who supported him both monetarily and through letters of encouragement. Over 600 of their letters still exist today, providing great insight concerning Van Gogh's intention in his paintings.

In Starry Night Over the Rhone, Van Gogh used the stars to represent the heavens and the gaslights below to symbolize the world of men. A pair of lovers witness the night at the bottom of the canvas.

As I waded through the crowd to see the Van Goghs, I heard an intelligent-sounding woman discoursing upon the background of Van Gogh's work and painting style. I turned around, thinking perhaps a tour group was being conducted. Instead, I saw a middle-aged woman (mom? grandma?) leading a small girl, 7 at oldest, towards the famous display.

I had to smile at that. Maybe she is the kind of person who burns with a desire to let everyone know how much she knows (even a child who would probably rather be watching SpongeBob Squarepants that morning). Or perhaps she is a proud (grand?)parent yearning to imbue her offspring with her hard-earned knowledge of art.

The last exchange I heard was the woman explaining why the public disliked Van Gogh's work, how they thought the thick paint he slathered on the canvas was wasteful. The girl looked at the canvas, considered it; then piped up, "Well, I like it!" I couldn't agree with her more.

The Bath

Here is one more painting that I loved from the Birth of Impressionism exhibit. Belgian artist Alfred Stevens painted this portrayal of a woman relaxing in her bath. Surprisingly, this painting created a scandal when it was displayed in 1867, despite the fact that the woman is not even nude.

The pocketwatch in the white soap holder, the white roses, the open book, and the woman's expression all invite speculation as to the meaning of this particular moment. Is the woman an indulgent, romantic dreamer lost in thought? Or a bored, too-pampered borgeoise? Or a mistress pondering her next rendez-vous with her lover? Perhaps it's the ambiguity of the painting that captured my attention.

Either way, it makes me want to steep my body in a hot bath.

Birth of Impressionism Exhibit in San Francisco

This weekend, my husband and I took a delightful trip with friends to the De Young Museum in San Francisco to view the Birth of Impressionism exhibit. The first of a two part exhibition, this first half focused on the French state-approved Salon art, then gradually introduces pieces by the radical Impressionist group.

The Salon art sought to edify and educate the public by depicting straightforward religious and mythological themes. Women’s bodies were idealized, flaws were invisible, men were noble and legendary. Ironically, I did not recognize any of the Salon art, which has fallen from fame today. Instead, the modern art lover recognizes the work of the rebels of the day - the group of artists called the Impressionists. An art critic dismissed an early presentation of their work by calling them "just a bunch of impressionists" and the name stuck.

The Impressionists sought to convey their a private perception of reality rather than the solid, photographic-like representations of Salon-approved paintings. Common scenes of everyday life became the source of "high art" as subject matter the Salon deemed "coarse" was captured and immortalized on canvas. Varying degrees of light and diverse weather were favorite points of interest, and the artists would often paint outdoors, presenting the same scene in a variety of seasons and at different times of day.

I have always favored Monet since viewing much of his work and home while studying abroad in France. This visit taught me much more about his Monet’s fellow artists including Manet and Cezanne, along with their favored subject matters and individual painting styles.

Renoir was quoted as saying that he liked to paint scenes you wish you could step into and walk around in! That’s just how I feel about scenes like this:

I find myself liking the art of Pisarro more and more, with his focus on the connection between agriculture and society, people and the land, nature and beauty.
I was also impressed to find that a female Impressionist artist named Berthe Morisot was well respected amongst her peers for her ability to capture the domestic scenes that were familiar to her as a woman in that time period such as the maternal scene below.

If you get a chance, be sure to visit the exhibit while it's still there. Coming soon is Part II - I look forward to it very much!