Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)
Oarsmen at Chatou,1879
The
"Impressionists on Water" show at the Legion has received, at best,
tepid reviews from our local art critics. I suppose that they prefer
work that is considered more challenging, like the current show of work
by Nicole Eisenman at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
Impressionism
is so familiar to us by now that we have forgotten what a radical
movement it was, a new way of experiencing the world through quick
sensations, expressed in paint. Even their preferred mode of painting -
en plain air - was considered revolutionary. They experienced nature
directly, instead of through the medium of staged sets within a studio
setting. Their art making depended on the radical changes in art
supplies which included portable easels and manufactured paint in tubes.
The impressionists created a work without mythology or kings or
monsters; one which still speaks to the sensual and sensitive within us.
Paul Signac (French, 1863–1935). À Flessingue (At Flushing, Netherlands),1896
But in these
perilous times, where it looks like we might be throwing more money at
yet another Middle Eastern country in the middle of a confusing civil
war, what would be better for the spirit than experiencing beautiful
art?
Why
art that is beautiful became suspect and then, denigrated and even
despised is an essay for another time. But for now, imagine yourself
floating down the Seine on a summer day in 1898. The Franco-Prussian war
is over and the horrors of WW I not even on the horizon. Enjoy a brief
moment of tranquility before the 20th century arrived, beginning with
optimism and ending with the destruction of so much that was promised
but seldom delivered.
Paul Signac (French, 1863–1935). Le Soir (Abend-La Jetée de Flessingue) (Evening),
published in Pan,1898
http://www.examiner.com/list/impressionists-on-water-opening-at-the-legion-of-honor
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