The long awaited collaboration between Paris’ Musèe d’Orsay and the National Gallery of Australia, Masters from Paris, opened on 4 December 2009 and will run until 5 April 2010*. In the tradition of ‘blockbuster’ exhibitions, this one had a long and lavish publicity campaign. Among other elements of the campaign, much has been made of the expense of mounting such a show, the costs of bringing such a large collection of works from a European gallery to Australia being substantial. However, in a country with a comprehensive sporting culture, the numbers of people queuing to see the exhibition argue that it has been money very well spent.
Post-Impressionism
The exhibition is a broad survey of post-Impressionist works from the Musée d’Orsay. It encompasses the period from the end of the Impressionist movement to the explosive moves made by many artists struggling to find a more individual voice via different and more innovative means.
The early works, including some by Monet, show their Impressionist roots very clearly. Study of a figure outdoors: a woman with a sunshade turned to the right, 1886, is a transitional work. Monet’s trademark fresh, plein air style is evident in the loose painterly brushwork and brilliantly contrasting light.
However, it is not a portrait in the traditional style, lacking the documentary information required to clearly identify the subject. Monet is said to have commented that it was the surrounding landscape that gave the woman value as a subject, in the same way he made a study of haystacks in their paddocks.
Gauguin in Tahiti
Paul Gauguin is well represented in the exhibition with his, perhaps, most well known depictions of Tahitian subject matter claiming immediate attention. Tahitian Women (Femmes de Tahiti), 1891, speaks to Gauguin’s focus on the human condition, and a certain rejection of the mythologising of primitive peoples, that was very much the mode at the time.
The women occupy the bulk of the composition but don’t engage with the viewer. One is dressed in a missionary provided pink dress, while the other is dressed in more traditional garments, albeit made of cheap imported fabrics rather than indigenous materials.
The work offers a subtle commentary of Gauguin’s disillusionment in the notion of an idyll, and his realisation that there was no simple Uptopian existence to be gained by merely removing himself from the complications of European life.
Van Gogh and Life in Arles
One work which had constant crowds up to six deep was Van Gogh’s bedroom at Arles, 1889. It is one of those iconic works which has graced many a calendar and carries with it, for the viewer, a deeply intimate familiarity. However, the opportunity to stand before the original work was a clearly powerful experience, with large, immobile groups continually present.
It was painted after five days of frantic work, Van Gogh completing five canvases in that period, before writing to his brother Theo his plans for a painting of his sanctuary. The painting is exactly as he described in the letter and is evocative of the simplicity that Van Gogh seemed always to crave but, perhaps, was never able to attain in his life.
Paul Cézanne and Mount Sainte-Victoire
Cézanne holds a vitally important place in this exhibition. His works range from landscapes, through still lives, to figurative works. Works like The Bathers, c.1890, display his draftsmanship and mastery of his palette – the carefully balanced use of secondary colours being a hallmark of his work. The same brilliant contrasts are evident in the still life works.
The quite different low-key palette used in the landscapes revolving around the Aix region of France, in particular those with Mount Saint-Victoire as the central feature are studies of subtler contrasts, the limited palette in the work by the same name of 1890 emphasising scale and gravity of the landscape. There is a congruity of the different elements, the limited colours making a strongly unified composition, a feature of all the Cézanne landscapes.
Travel and Accommodation Packages for the Exhibition
This is an important exhibition in Australia, offering a breadth and depth of works from this important period in art not available in the local galleries. The permanent collection at the gallery should also feature on the visitor’s itinerary, featuring one of the best contemporary collections in the National Gallery network.
Prices and ticket booking facilities for the exhibition are available online. The National Gallery of Australia has worked with the hospitality industry to develop packages to better enable those from out of town to easily enjoy both their special exhibitions and the permanent collection.
* Due to popular demand, The National Gallery of Australia has extended the exhibition until 18 April 2010.
Karen Finch - Karen is a Sydney based freelance writer, artist and musician. To learn more, click on her name to read her profile.
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