"You will see that they are trying to create from scratch a wholly modern art, an art imbued with our surroundings, our sentiments, and the things of our age."
Edmond Duranty, writing of the Impressionists in 1876
My meanders took me to the south of England this past weekend to stay with my wife Sarah and catch up with family.
I also ventured to London's Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, 'Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec', which offered a captivating glimpse into the lesser-known world of the works on paper of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
And I offer a caveat here. Some who read this may be disappointed that I have not included photographs of the works I mention. However, those regular readers know my view on taking photographs of pieces in exhibitions. The bottom line is I don't. And thankfully, on this occasion, I only saw a couple of people doing so. Moving steadily from piece to piece, snapping away while not pausing to look at the work other than through the camera lens. Why? I ask myself. Anyway, each to their own.
Many are familiar with the oil paintings of Mary Cassatt, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Odilon Redon, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh. Well, this exhibition of some eighty works by these and others offered an unfamiliar perspective into the world of Impressionist art and its creative process through the artist's experimentation with various paper mediums. It highlighted the artists' remarkable versatility and inventiveness, from delicate watercolours and pastels to bold charcoal sketches and vibrant gouaches.
While we rightly celebrate Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists for their sun-drenched landscapes and captured moments of ordinary life, their works on paper reveal a different side of these artistic giants. Often smaller and more intimate, these pieces allow for a deeper exploration of process, experimentation, and emotional nuance.
The exhibition delved into the artists' fascination with light, colour, and movement, highlighting their ability to translate these elements onto paper. Their delicate strokes and vibrant hues showed the artists' innovative techniques and their pushing of the boundaries of traditional artistic norms. Overall, the exhibition offered an intimate glimpse into the spontaneity and immediacy of the artists' creative expression.
One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition was the sheer variety of materials the artists employed.
Degas, for instance, embraced the immediacy of charcoal, capturing movement with bold, expressive strokes.
Conversely, Morisot favoured the delicate touch of watercolour, imbuing her pieces with a sense of soft luminosity and quiet contemplation.
Renoir, renowned for his vibrant oil paintings, surprises with his mastery of pastels. His portraits radiate a warmth and tenderness that is sometimes missing in his more significant works.
Jacques-Emile Blanche's - 'Portrait of Madame Henri Wallet' was a particularly striking piece. Blanche was a traditional high-society portrait painter, but in this work, he embraced the materials of the then 'modern' artists to create this portrait in pastel.
Another eye-catching piece was Redon's 'Stained Glass Window'. The darkness of the almost black church interior executed in charcoal offers a stark contrast to the window’s rainbow colours that the artist added in pastel.
One of the exhibition's strengths was the juxtaposition of diverse works to trace the evolution of the Impressionist movement. From Monet's iconic coastscapes to Degas' evocative ballet scenes, each piece unveiled a unique facet of the artist's engagement with nature and contemporary life, allowing appreciation of each artist's contribution.
The exhibition began with works from the early years of Impressionism with such pieces as Degas' enigmatic 'Woman at a Window' and a delicate study in pastel by Gonzalès, entitled 'The Bride'. The exhibition then continued into the period when the Impressionists held their last group exhibition in Paris, including Vincent van Gogh's 'The Fortifications of Paris with Houses' and one of Monet's luminous landscapes in pastel, 'Cliffs at Etretat: The Needle Rock and Porte d'Aval'. The exhibition concluded with works from the turn of the 19th century, which saw an ever-growing appreciation of works on paper exemplified by Degas' 'Dancers on a Bench', one of his last renderings of a ballet scene, as well as examples of Cézanne's meditative watercolours and Toulouse-Lautrec's indelible urban underworld of Montmartre.
The exhibition also highlighted the importance of drawing as a foundation for Impressionist practice. Presenting sketches and studies, often dismissed as mere preparatory work, as finished works, highlighting the artists' keen observation skills and ability to capture fleeting moments with a few precise lines.
Many know of Van Gogh's expressive, later vibrant pieces full of light and colour. However, here there was a detailed and wonderfully executed drawing in charcoal and black chalk, 'Bust of a Young Warrior' that betrays that early in his career, Vincent briefly attended classes under Fernand Cormon that followed the academic teaching methods of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The drawing is a copy of a cast of a Renaissance terracotta bust. However, as you might imagine, van Gogh felt constrained by such a rigid approach and soon left Cormon for greater freedom and originality.
Another instantly recognisable piece is Georges Seurat's 'Seated Youth' - a preparatory work in Black Conté crayon of one of the prominent figures of his 'Bathers at Asnières'. Although famous for his pointillist paintings composed of tiny dots of colour, in his drawings, Seurat developed a unique style based on strong contrasts of black and white, with dark figures silhouetted against a hazy light. Although a study, this piece is an independent work in its own right.
The exhibition skilfully weaved a narrative around the societal context in which the Impressionists worked. The curation highlighted the artists' technical prowess and offered insight into the social and artistic upheavals of the time. It prompted viewers to consider the radical nature of Impressionism and its challenge to the established norms in the art world, offering a window into the artists' inner lives. Intimate portraits, introspective landscapes, and candid observations of everyday life reveal a depth of emotion and vulnerability not always seen in their more public-facing works.
I much enjoyed "Impressionists on Paper" for its artistic merit and its challenge to the accepted understanding of Impressionism. By focusing on the artists' use of paper, the exhibition offered a fresh perspective on the artists' creative process and the dynamic nature of the movement. It reminded us that these artists were not simply concerned with capturing light and atmosphere; they were also profoundly human, their works filled with emotion, introspection, and a deep engagement with the world around them.
The Royal Academy's commitment to creating a visually immersive experience was clear in the careful curation of the works and the insightful commentary that enhanced the overall exhibition and provided a rich context for both art enthusiasts and novices. By venturing beyond the confines of oil and canvas, the exhibition offered a nuanced insight into the Impressionist legacy and the profound impact of their revolutionary approach to art, thus enriching our understanding of these artistic giants. It also served as a reminder that sometimes, you can find the most profound expressions of creative genius not on grand canvases but on the humble sheets of paper where dreams and ideas take their first tentative steps towards immortality.
Just like someone else in these comments, I also loved the last line! Absolutely beautifully articulated. I have been wanting to see this exhibition but haven't yet got round to it, so good to know it definitely needs to stay high up on my list. I also have always tended to prefer the more modest works of artists' sketchbooks and spare pieces of paper. It must be something about the drawings being so concentrated down and so much more relaxed and natural that makes them so much more vibrant and full of so much more life at times! Your whole final paragraph is wonderful actually - really could not have put it better.
What a variety of artworks! Sounds like a lovely exhibition. I have to admit that I take photos at museums, but only after I've spent time just looking. It acts as a reminder to me to dig deeper into certain artists or artworks when I get home. Like I did this morning when you mentioned Berthe Morisot's watercolors - I couldn't remember ever having seen any. How beautiful they are!