: Forty-four lush landscape paintings comprise a major exhibition
tracing the changing traditions of the Barbizon and Impressionist
movements as their popularity rose in France and influenced the
art of America.
"Paths to Impressionism: French and American Landscape
Paintings," on view in the Allentown Art Museum's Kress Gallery
October 24-February 13, features landscape paintings by Claude
Monet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, George Inness, John Singer
Sargent, Alfred Sisley and many others. It explores the artists'
changing attitudes about nature and explains the indelible
connection Americans have had with this style of art.
The exhibition is organized by the Worcester (Mass.) Art Museum
and is curated by Dr Elizabeth Johns, renowned American art
scholar, professor and fellow at the College of the Holy Cross.
Dr Christine I. Oaklander, Allentown Art Museum director of
collections and exhibitions, is the on-site curator. Admission to
the special exhibition is free for members, $3 for nonmembers.
"Paths to Impressionism" is the first exhibition to combine the
Worcester Art Museum's French and American collections, as French
and American paintings are rarely displayed together. Several of
the works have been off view for generations, disallowed travel
because they were are fragile and declined to be lent to major
shows. Other works have traveled and been published extensively.
Several of the paintings were purchased by the Worcester Art
Museum directly from the artists. As a result, they have been in
a climate-controlled environment under the care of professional
curators and conservators for their entire history and so are in
unusually good condition, with full surface richness. Other
paintings and their frames required extensive conservation
treatment, and in preparation for the exhibition, Worcester
conservators repaired frames and canvases, cleaned paintings, and
removed discolored varnish.
"The exhibition brings to Allentown exciting works by key
Impressionist painters, but most importantly, it brings together
the work of French and American artists as well as artists from
the Barbizon and Impressionist schools," said David R. Brigham,
the Priscilla Payne Hurd Director of the Allentown Art Museum.
"All of the paintings to be shown have in common their immoderate
beauty and high quality."
Inspired by the ancient forests of Fontainebleau and the bucolic
village of Barbizon, French painters in the mid-Nineteenth
Century romanticized the rural landscape with images that
appealed to emotions. New revelations in the natural sciences
prompted artists to ponder man's role in nature as well as the
ramifications of urbanization and deforestation. Adopting a new
philosophy that man cannot be separated from nature, Barbizon
artists created works that drew the viewer into the scene, not as
a bystander but as active participant. Following French Barbizon
painters, American artists began to paint landscapes that
depicted changing seasons and transients skies, capturing the
light, mood and mystery of nature.
At the turn of the last century, the Impressionists, consumed by
modern life, looked for nature in everyday scenes in cities,
markets, harbors and parks. Focused on the quality of light, they
worked with a light-colored palette invigorated with synthetic
tones and used short, thick brushstrokes of pure color. Taking
the lead from the French, a new generation of American
Impressionists emerged and banded together in colonies along the
Atlantic coast, as well as at Giverny, the town near Paris where
Monet resided.
The exhibition, among other themes, addresses the current
popularity of period frames. "We have put a new slant on the
exhibition by considering five themes: Frames; The Barbizon
School; Impressionism; the American Taste for Barbizon and
Impressionist Art; and Corot, Inness and the Contemplative
Landscape," said Oaklander. "Also, the installation will work
backwards, that is, it will start with Impressionism and work its
way back to the Barbizon School."
New England residents shared the artists' connection to nature
and treasured their landscape paintings. In fact, Bostonians were
pioneers in the appreciation of Barbizon and Impressionist art.
Through early direct purchases from artists and the gifts of
local collectors, the Worcester Art Museum quickly amassed an
impressive collection of Barbizon and Impressionist works. In
1909, the Worcester Art Museum's first director returned from
Paris with four paintings by Monet. The museum purchased two,
positioning itself as the first in the nation to collect works by
the most famous Impressionist.
"This is a very special exhibition: Not since 1994-95 have we had
an exhibition of American Impressionism and not since 1977 has
the museum exhibited French paintings of this quality," said
Brigham.
"Paths to Impressionism" will run concurrently with two
complementary exhibitions: "Allentown Impressions: Views
of City Parks" (Rodale Gallery, through February 13) will
feature Pennsylvania Impressionist works, as well as other
historical paintings of Allentown parks and contemporary works;
and "Toiles for All Seasons: French and English Printed Textiles"
(Payne Hurd Gallery, through February 27).
Programming related to "Paths to Impressionism" will include a
Fall Festival, a lecture by Dr Johns and a fall art mixer.
Additionally, a paperback catalog of the exhibition, authored by
Dr Johns, is available at the museum store.
For information visit Allen townArtMuseum.org, or call
610-432-4333, ext 10. Hours are 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday-Saturday,
noon to 5 Sunday.
