Paris Impressions

A photograph and a few words ...

“…people have heard of the Impressionists, they have great expectations of them… and when they see them for the first time they’re bitterly, bitterly disappointed and find them careless, ugly, badly painted, badly drawn, bad in colour, everything that’s miserable. That was my first impression, too…”

Vincent van Gogh, writing disappointedly to his sister Willemien after seeing the 8th Impressionist Exhibition in 1886.... then taking their lead he lightened his own palette, and a whole world of movement and colour emerged.

Sarah, my wife, and I spent a wonderful few days in Paris a week or so back. The primary purpose of our trip was to visit the 150th Anniversary Impressionist Exhibition at Musée d'Orsay. But while in Paris, we took the opportunity to enjoy many conversations together, stroll the boulevards, drink pastis, and muse on the chaos of Parisian traffic and its whistle-blowing police officers trying vainly to keep things moving. We indulged in some great food—especially that of our favourite Parisian restaurant, Chez Francis, near the Pont de l'Alma (their sole meunière is superb) - and, of course, people watched. As marriage separations go, there are many worse than ours.

However, this piece is not about relationships, or the host of distractions Paris can offer but about that 150th-anniversary Impressionist exhibition, which, in my opinion, provides a breathtaking retrospective of one of the most revolutionary art movements in history. The exhibition provided a profound exploration of the movement's origins, defining features, and lasting impact on the art world. But, before I delve into that exhibition, let's set the scene with the reaction to the original exhibition some 150 years ago. In this piece, to avoid confusion, I will refer to the original exhibition of 1874 as the 'First Exhibition' and 'Anniversary Exhibition' for that, which Sarah and I visited a week or so ago.

Although none of the participants knew it at the time when that First Exhibition by an independent group of artists whose works were rejected by the jury of the annual Académie des Beaux-Arts Salon held at the Louvre, the traditional and stuffy arbiter of artistic 'good taste', opened in a photographer's studio on the Boulevard des Capucines, it was to prove revolutionary and transformative to the then art world. 

That ground-breaking First Exhibition by a group of visionary artists was a bold defiance of convention. It heralded a courageous departure from the established norms of academic painting. These artists dared to challenge conventional aesthetics, opening a new era of artistic freedom by embracing the fleeting nuances of light, colour, and atmosphere to capture the essence of modern life.

Experimentation in this new artistic style began in the mid-19th century as a 'rebellion' against art that emphasised precise draftsmanship and historical or mythological subject matter. Dissatisfied with these constraints, a group of avant-garde artists looked to break free from tradition and explore new avenues of artistic expression. Their collective ambition was to capture fleeting moments of the world around them rather than adhering to strict rules of representation.

Thirty or so artists formed a group with a less-than-catching title, 'The Cooperative and Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers'. That group included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, and Paul Cézanne. In truth, it was a disparate group in which the artists had few personal connections and little in common in artistic style or vision other than a desire to show the world as it is, not as it has been.

It was that group that, in 1874, opened the doors of the once-studio of photographer Nadar to reveal their works. The event, with artworks that were a revelation to the public and the art establishment alike, was a radical departure from the prestigious Salon. Greeting visitors were vibrant, luminous canvases depicting everyday life with unprecedented spontaneity and freshness. Notable pieces included Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise ', Pissarro's 'The Chestnut Trees at Osny', Renoir's 'La Loge', and Degas' 'Ballet Rehearsal on Stage'. In addition to fifty-one works by the 'Cooperative', the exhibition included one hundred and fourteen paintings by some twenty other artists.

The First Exhibition was open for a month and provoked curiosity, bewilderment, and outrage among contemporary critics and audiences. Accustomed to the polished realism of academic painting, many viewers could not understand the unconventional techniques and subject matter (primarily landscapes or scenes of street people going about their everyday lives), thinking them 'vulgar' and 'commonplace'. In addition, visitors considered the manner of painting adopted to be far too sketchy and incomplete. Critics derided the artists' apparent lack of finish and disregard for traditional composition and perspective. 

My photograph above of one of the cartoons in the Anniversary Exhibition illustrates the point. In the caricature by Amédée Charles Henri de Noé from the magazine Le Charivari (in English 'Hullabaloo') of April 16, 1877, an attendant cautions a pregnant lady against the effect of the shock of seeing such outrageous artistic offerings. It's not from the First Exhibition but from the Third Exhibition of the Impressionists. Yet, even three years later, their art was still deemed 'shocking'.

In truth, the First Exhibition was not a critical or commercial success at first sight, resulting in a significant loss. The entrance fee was one franc, attracting only three and a half thousand visitors compared to the four hundred thousand attending the Salon Exhibition the same year. The artists dissolved the Cooperative the following year.

This new art movement may have dissipated without Louis Leroy, a journalist and art reviewer for the French satirical publication Le Charivari (Discordant Music). Monsieur Leroy chose 'Exposition des Impressionnistes' as the satirical title for his piece on the First Exhibition to describe what he thought looked like unfinished paintings.

Leroy's experience was of the carefully composed, beautifully finished, and lifelike paintings at the Salon. The loose brushwork and casual composition of the paintings he now looked upon shocked him. He considered using rapid brushstrokes with entire paintings completed in one session, insulting to the meticulous and time-consuming brushwork of traditional artists, who often spent weeks on a single work. 

Leroy wrote his satirical review, published midway through the exhibition, as a dialogue between himself and a fictional academic landscape painter named Joseph Vincent. As Leroy guides Vincent through the First Exhibition, he is shocked and dismayed at the style of the paintings. Leroy begrudgingly defends each painting by saying that, while they are not exact depictions, they have an impression of what they are supposed to depict. Vincent repeatedly mocks Leroy's use of the word "impression" and begins to refer to the artists collectively as "impressionists". Cézanne's 'A Modern Olympia' finally drives Vincent to madness, hallucinating that the paintings are talking to him.

However, Leroy's article intended to be just as much of a spoof of the reactions of conservative academic painters to the 'Impressionists' as it was a mockery of their painting style. Leroy's use of the term 'Impressionist' all stemmed from a casual decision by Claude Monet, who, when asked for a title for his painting of the docks at Le Havre for the First Exhibition catalogue, replied, "put down Impression, Sunrise". The painting epitomised the Impressionist approach with its shimmering depiction of the harbour at Le Havre bathed in the soft light of dawn. 

Although after the First Exhibition closed, most of the Cooperative happily accepted Leroy's nickname for them. Édouard Manet (who did not display at the First Exhibition, thus avoiding any confusion with Claude Monet) disassociated himself from it. Degas strongly disagreed with it, preferring the title of 'independents'. The writer Émile Zola insisted the artists should use the term 'naturalists'.

As I've mentioned, Zola, let's take a short meander around one of the most prominent novelists of the 19th century and his relationship with the Impressionist painters, which fostered a dynamic interchange between literature and visual arts. 

Émile Zola grew up in a milieu rich in artistic and intellectual fervour, significantly influencing his writing development. Zola's friendship with Paul Cézanne, whom he met during his school days in Aix-en-Provence, was pivotal as it introduced Zola to the world of painting and the emerging avant-garde movements.

After Zola moved to Paris to pursue his literary career, he became acquainted with several other young artists, including Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  With his progressive ideas and critical eye, Zola naturally aligned with these artists who sought to break free from traditional techniques and subjects.

Zola's advocacy for the Impressionists was most prominently displayed through his work as an art critic. In the 1860s and 1870s, he wrote several influential articles defending and promoting the work of these avant-garde artists. He recognised the revolutionary potential in their focus on contemporary life, use of light and colour, and departure from the highly finished surfaces that characterised academic painting. In his reviews, Zola praised Manet's controversial works, such as 'Olympia' and 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe,' which were initially met with scandal and outrage. In Manet's bold compositions, Zola saw a mirror to his literary aspirations: a commitment to truth, modernity, and a refusal to conform to established norms. Zola's critical support was instrumental in legitimising the Impressionist movement, helping it gain acceptance and recognition.

The influence of Impressionism on Zola's literary work is evident in his descriptive techniques and thematic choices. His novels often depict the same modern urban scenes and social dynamics that the Impressionists captured on canvas. In ‘L'Assommoir,’ for instance, Zola's detailed and vivid descriptions of working-class Parisian life echo the realism and immediacy of an Impressionist painting. One of Zola's most explicit engagements with the art world is in his novel ‘L’Œuvre’ (The Masterpiece). The protagonist, Claude Lantier, is a painter whose struggles and aspirations are thought to be modelled on Cézanne and other contemporary artists. ‘L’Œuvre’ explores the tension between artistic ambition and commercial success and the psychological toll of creative genius. Through this novel, Zola provides a penetrating exploration of the artist's life, reflecting his deep understanding of the Impressionist ethos.

But despite Zola's advocacy for the Impressionists, his relationship with Cézanne sadly soured, primarily due to the publication of ‘L’Œuvre.’ Cézanne perceived the portrayal of Claude Lantier as a betrayal, believing that Zola had exposed Cézanne's vulnerabilities to the public. This led to a rift between the two friends, highlighting the complex and sometimes painful intersections between art, literature, and personal relationships.

Nevertheless, Émile Zola's involvement with the Impressionist movement was a significant chapter in literature and art. His critical writings provided crucial support to the artists during their formative years, helping to secure their place in the pantheon of modern art. Conversely, the Impressionists' innovative techniques and modern subjects enriched Zola's literary vision, allowing him to create works that vividly captured the spirit of his age.

With the support of such figures as Zola and despite the savage criticism, Impressionism slowly and surely gained an appreciative audience. But it took time, and as you can see from the quotation from, of all people, Vincent van Gogh at the beginning of this piece, he wasn't too keen on what he looked upon even 12 years after the First Exhibition. However, the Impressionist's emphasis on individual feeling, subjective expression, and the exploration of light and colour laid the groundwork for later movements such as 'Post-Impressionism', 'Fauvism', and 'Cubism'. They paved the way for van Gogh (even though he wasn't convinced to begin with), Gauguin, Matisse, Derain, Picasso, Braque, and many others.

Now, let's turn to the celebratory Anniversary Exhibition and begin with something about its setting: the Musée d'Orsay sits on the left bank of the River Seine and is seen as one of the most esteemed art museums in the world. It is rightly celebrated for its extensive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. 

The museum occupies a building that was originally a railway station, the Gare d'Orsay, constructed for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. Designed by architect Victor Laloux, the station was a marvel of modern engineering, featuring an iron framework concealed behind a stone facade to blend with the surrounding Beaux-Arts architecture. But despite its grandeur, the station's platforms were soon deemed too short for the longer trains of the 20th century, leading to its eventual closure as a railway hub.

In the 1970s, plans to demolish the station were halted, and it was instead designated a historical monument. The French government recognised its potential as an art museum and transformed the space into the Musée d'Orsay. The renovation, led by architects Pierre Colboc, Renaud Bardon, and Jean-Paul Philippon and overseen by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, preserved the building's historic features while adapting it to its new purpose. The museum officially opened to the public in December 1986, and the transformation is a significant achievement in architectural history. Preserving the building's original features, such as the grand clock and the ornate facade, combined with modern museum design principles, creates a unique and inspiring visitor experience. The high, vaulted ceilings and expansive central nave offer a sense of openness and light, enhancing the display of artwork and creating a memorable atmosphere.

The Musée d'Orsay is renowned for its extensive collection of art from 1848 to 1914, bridging the gap between the classical works housed in the Louvre and the modern pieces in the Centre Pompidou.

The museum collections include paintings, sculptures, photographs, decorative arts, and architectural drawings, and its painting collection is particularly notable for its comprehensive representation of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements. Masterpieces by artists such as Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat are prominently displayed. Manet's ‘Olympia’, Monet's ‘Blue Water Lilies’, and van Gogh's ‘Starry Night Over the Rhône’ are among the highlights.

The sculpture collection features work by Auguste Rodin, including 'The Gates of Hell' and 'The Burghers of Calais,' as well as pieces by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Aristide Maillol. The grand central nave of the former railway station provides a dramatic setting for these large-scale works.

The museum also houses an impressive array of decorative arts, including Art Nouveau furniture and ceramics, as well as a significant collection of early photographs, which offer a glimpse into the technological and artistic developments of the 19th century.

The Musée d'Orsay plays a vital role in Paris' cultural landscape and the broader art world. It serves as a centre for scholarly research and public education and offers a variety of exhibitions, lectures, and educational programs that engage the academic community and the general public.

Temporary exhibitions like this Anniversary Exhibition often explore thematic or monographic subjects, providing deeper insights into specific artists, movements, or historical contexts. These exhibitions and the museum's permanent collections contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation of 19th-century art.

The curatorial team for the Anniversary Exhibition I attended with Sarah has assembled works from the First Exhibition, highlighting Impressionist art's breadth and depth in a chronological and thematic layout. This allows visitors to trace the evolution of Impressionism from its nascent stages to its established legacy while also appreciating key artists' individual contributions.

An insightful aspect of the Anniversary Exhibition is the inclusion of paintings from the Salon Exhibition of 1874 arranged floor to ceiling as they would have been in the Salon. This inclusion draws the viewers' attention to the radical style of the Impressionists compared to the more stylised works of the traditional art movement. One can see why those attendees to the First Exhibition were shocked at the time. 

I liked that the Anniversary Exhibition included lesser-known works alongside iconic masterpieces from the First Exhibition. This approach recognises the famous paintings that define Impressionism while introducing viewers to the varied and often surprising range of experimentation that characterised the movement.

The Anniversary Exhibition features seminal works by leading figures such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, including his 'Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette’, Edgar Degas and his 'The Dance Class’, and Camille Pissarro's landscapes that provide a serene counterpoint to the other artists' capture of the vibrancy and dynamism of contemporary life and reinforcing the diversity of the Impressionists subject matter and technique. Not surprisingly prominently displayed is Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise,' allowing visitors to see firsthand the brushwork and play of light that gave a revolution in painting its name. And, of course, Cezanne's provocative 'A Modern Olympia' is there too.

The Musée d'Orsay has also taken advantage of a Virtual Reality experience using technology to create an immersive journey through that First Exhibition and the landscapes and scenes that inspired the Impressionist painters. The VR headsets allow visitors to travel back to the late 19th century, where Rose, your virtual guide, takes you to the First Exhibition, at which you can watch the artists interact with each other and then 'move' to the scenes that inspired them. This experience offers a deeper understanding of the context and atmosphere that influenced the artists.

The VR concept goes beyond traditional exhibition viewing to offer an interactive, multi-sensory exploration of Impressionist art. By immersing viewers in the sights and sounds of the period, the Anniversary Exhibition looks to bridge the gap between paintings' static nature and the dynamic environments they represent.

The VR setup at the Musée d'Orsay is user-friendly and accessible. On our visit, a wheelchair user was one of the group, and through the wonders of technology, we could freely move around each other during our tour with only one or two slight 'bumps'. If issues arise or you lose sight of Rose, your virtual guide, and wander from the proscribed route, the VR headset swiftly 'guides' you back. And staff are at hand to help in case of equipment failures. The headset's high-resolution displays ensure a clear and engaging visual experience. Integrating spatial audio adds an extra layer of immersion, with ambient sounds that complement the visual elements and enhance the sense of being present in the scenes.

One of the standout features of the VR experience is its interactive component. Following Rose, you explore various locations, Nadar's studio, the bustling streets of Paris and the surrounding countryside, gaining insight into how these environments influenced the artists' work. A scene I particularly liked was the virtual recreation of Fréderic Bazille's painting 'The Artist's Studio', within which we can see Monet, Cezanne, Zola, and others engage in conversation and even some piano playing! Interactive elements allow users to focus on specific details and learn more about the techniques and choices made by the painters, making the experience both educational and entertaining.

I felt the VR experience significantly enriched the traditional exhibition format by providing a different perspective on Impressionist art, looking beyond the canvas to understand the interplay of light, colour, and environment that characterised the Impressionist movement. This more profound engagement with the art enhances appreciation. It offers a more comprehensive understanding of the artists' vision and innovation.

From an educational standpoint, the VR experience is a powerful tool. It caters to many audiences, from art enthusiasts to casual visitors and students. The immersive environment helps demystify complex artistic concepts. It makes them accessible to all, fostering a greater appreciation for the nuances of Impressionist art. According to a review in The Art Newspaper, the VR experience "redefines the way we engage with art, offering a sensory journey that deepens our connection to the masterpieces on display" . At the same time, The New York Times highlighted the innovative use of technology to enhance the viewing experience, calling it "a pioneering approach to art exhibition."

Unsurprisingly, the Anniversary Exhibition has garnered widespread acclaim from critics and visitors. The Musée d'Orsay deserves credit for its thoughtful curation, offering an unparalleled exploration of a movement that forever changed the art world. There's undoubtedly an emotional impact on seeing so many iconic works in one place and the thrill of discovering new favourites among the lesser-known pieces. The Guardian newspaper noted that the exhibition is "a masterclass in art history," commending its ability to balance scholarly depth with broad public appeal. Who am I to argue with the newspaper I've read for over fifty years?