The Poppy Field by Claude Monet (1873) ✎

A fleeting visual impression of a breezy, summer’s day.

A simple subject: Monet’s wife, Camille, and their son, Jean, taking a casual walk; integrated in their environment.

This painting was exhibited at the first-ever Impressionist exhibition. He returned to France (from the UK) on the ending of the Franco-Prussian War:

Claude Monet painted The Poppy Field near Argenteuil in 1873 on his return from the United Kingdom (in 1871) when he settled in Argenteuil with his family until 1878. It was a time that provided the artist with great fulfillment as a painter, despite the failing health of Camille. Paul Durand-Ruel, Monet’s art dealer, helped support him during this time, where he found great comfort from the picturesque landscapes that surrounded him and provided him with plenty of subject matter from which to choose. It was a time that Monet’s Plein air works would develop, and this particular painting was shown at the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874. 

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The dabs of red paint were revolutionary for their time.

 The loose & sketchy field of poppies - step towards modern abstraction.

The Wheelbarrow, Orchard by Camille Pissarro (1881) ✎

I saw this painting in Paris.

I really love Pissarro’s rural landscapes - serene, evoking the simple pleasures of life.

Camille Pissarro was a socialist, so he often depicted the workers with a heroic and dignified bearing.

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The daubing with a vibrant palette to capture the shimmering sunlight, and the dappled patterns of light and shadow on the grass.

The Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin (1880-1917) ✎

Phenomenal. 

Human souls in anguish & torture.

I saw this at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. It’s Rodin’s original plaster model.

Smarthistory have done a great little video on this sculpture. Rodin never actually completed these doors which were originally intended for an art museum.

Based on Dante’s Divine Comedy, it’s easily influenced by Ghiberti’s The Gates of Paradise (which I have just blogged about).

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Details:

Human souls immersed in molten rock.

Spirits fossilised?

Crystalline doors that never open.

 

Figures seem to emerge, move and interact with one another.

So much movement and emotion, frozen in time.

It really is truly horrifying and quite graceful & beautiful, at the same time.

Reminds me of the The Devil’s Advocate film sculpture scene:

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Based on Rodin’s v. famous sculpture, The Thinker.

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette by Renoir (1876) ✎

Absolutely gorgeous.

The joie de vivre. 

It really does feel like the viewer is watching a joyous moment frozen in time, with the summer feeling.

The intimacy and affection of all people - though, I must admit, Renoir’s painted face seem to miss a certain something.

I saw this Renoir masterpiece at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

The “Moulin de la Galette” (wiki) started off as a windmill and became an open-air dancehall and café. It was frequented by wealthy Parisians and artists.

This painting is huge, and the painting was done en plein air so Renoir captured the dappled light effect through the trees.

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Spring Sunshine in the Meadow at Eragny by Camille Pissarro (1887) ✎

This painting is exquisite. 

It has a daydream-like quality and filled with the beauty and peacefulness of the countryside.

It is by the impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. I saw it in D’Orsay. 

It was painted later in his life when he settled in the village north of Paris, Eragny.

Pissarro’s brushstrokes are magical. His technique of “broken colour” entails small strokes of different blotches side-by-side as opposed to being mixed on the palette. It’s clearly influenced by Seurat’s pointillism (whom he met in 1885). The sense of warmth is captured in the yellows and oranges bouncing of the surfaces (especially the green grassland). Even the bluey shadows seem to further the shimmering sunshine as a wonderful contrast.

The solitary charming lady - holding her basket - almost melts into the atmosphere of sunshine. She is beautiful because she is connected to the nature itself. She is warmth and peace too.

I think the evocation of sunshine and spring make for a moving uplifting painting.

Musée d'Orsay ✎

Hello bloggers

I'm at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. 🥳

This is the central hall of the former train station.