Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Impressions On Trafalgar Square


The seminar presentation yesterday was a success. I was tired after a weekend of work, and I needed a break. I needed to head back to the National Gallery a dose of art therapy. When I last stepped into this great institution on Trafalgar Square, I had been in London for barely a few days. The modern galleries were closed then, but a new exhibition has since opened, comprising the core of the National Gallery's Impressionist and Post-Impressionist holdings.

They’ve come to be among its most popular attractions. But if you dig into the history of the collection, you would have learnt, to some surprise, that at the turn of the last century, the trustees of the National Gallery were distinctly unenthusiastic about these new, highly coloured and forthright works from France. And were it not for the efforts of certain perceptive champions, and quite a few fortunate bequests, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity now to view these monumental works right in the centre of London.

Manet to Picasso, as the exhibition's called, drew a capacity crowd. And this was late in the afternoon on a winter’s day in January. It’s a clear testament, surely, to the enduring popularity of this band of mainly continental painters who challenged the artistic conventions of their era, forging ahead instead with their own interpretation of what constitutes art.

They were by no means a unitary group. Rather, each brought his own distinctive mark to the overall genre. And this diversity was clearly on display. We saw Manet and his defiant portrayals of everyday life; Monet and his focus on shifting moods and light; Toulouse-Lautrec and his soft and playful pastels; Gauguin with his dark drawings; Van Gogh and his hard renderings; Seurat and his scientific pointillism; Cezanne and his intense landscapes; Rousseau and his childlike depictions. And there was Renoir, and Vuillard, and Signac, and more.

Some chose to head outdoors and paint quickly - en plein air, as it’s known, where a quick sketch represents the final version. A Monet worth millions today could have been cooked up in one afternoon. Others, in contrast, made repeated preparatory drawings, before executing the finished work in the studio. Some chose landscapes. Others focused on the human form.

But while techniques may have differed, they shared the clear central concern – to depict not the lives of ancient saints or kings, but how the common man and woman actually lived. What they did, what they say, where they went – the drudgery of daily life, even. All became worthy topics. This was a great democratization of art. And today, we have them to thank for as well for introducing us to such wondrous colours from the past.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Other than being erudite, you are an art aficionado too! DH

4:39 PM  

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