Adelaide is a bit of an enigma – it may not be Sydney or Melbourne, but it can certainly rival them with its vibrant art scene. Current feature exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia from Musée d’Orsay, Colours of Impressionism, is a perfect example of the level of art engagement evident in South Australia.
The exhibition features 65 works from the Impressionist period, featuring giants of art such as Eduard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissarro. It also presents some lesser known names that will be familiar to those Australian viewers with some knowledge of French art history: Henri-Edmond Cross, Maximilien Luce, Stanislas Lepine, and Charles Angrand.
“The May Triptych” (Alfred Sisley, 1872; Camille Pissarro, 1872; Claude Monet, 1872-73). Three works bought by Ernest May. The artists each painted a scene near home. All exhibited in Exposition Universelle in 1889.
The exhibition presents the Impressionist movement by taking us from its roots and through its development, as well as how it visually related to other movements of French art towards the turn of the century: Pointillism, Divisionism, Neo-Impressionism, and Fauvism. The Musée d’Orsay curators Marine Kisiel and Paul Perrin chose colour to structure this exhibition, which allows the viewer to see the evolution of Impressionism by transitioning from dark to light colours and by loosening and/or adapting the brush strokes.
Edouard Manet “Moonlight over the port of Boulogne” (1869)
While artworks today tend to be presented in elaborate frames, it is refreshing to see a couple of smaller worked in surrounds that would have pleased the Impressionist artists themselves. Their practice of framing paintings in plain white frames was for both economic and aesthetic purposes, and four smaller paintings in this exhibition give an impression (pun intended!) of how some of these artists’ works would have been seen by their audiences.
Georges Seurat, three “Studies” (1883, 1884, 1884-86); Charles Angrand, “Les villottes” (1887-89)
A personal highlight for me was a painting by Caillebotte Rooftops in the snow (this painting embodies the essence of Europe, with its old buildings covered in snow, as well as the marriage between art and industrialism – look at all the chimney tops!). Two other really exciting surprises were a pair of palettes belonging to Edgar Degas, and a painting box of Auguste Renoir. (If you saw the exhibition at NGV in 2016, you will appreciate the palettes!)
The exhibition is exclusive to Adelaide, and will run until 29 July. More detailed can be found here.