Impressions

I would rather die of passion than of boredom - V. van Gogh.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Frederick Childe Hassam has seen a few presidents come and go.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Klimt vs. Monet

Same theme, totally different vibe.

Klimt focuses on structure and vertical rhythm. Monet captures movement and atmosphere.

Klimt or Monet?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Leonardo da Vinci – La Scapigliata, c. 1508

Leonardo believed hair should look as if moved by an imaginary wind.

He often left parts of his work loosely sketched, using an unfinished effect. The face, however, is beautifully detailed.

Some things are simply better seen in a museum.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

@recovery9090 Hassam was in Paris when Monet exhibited La Rue Montorgueil. Could he have seen it?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Monet vs Van Gogh

They painted flags 30 years before Hassam.

Influence or imitation?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Frederick Childe Hassam has seen a few presidents come and go.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Not all Impressionists painted water lilies and gardens.

When the US entered WWI in 1917, Childe Hassam began painting American and Allied flags.

His first exhibition opened just 4 days after the armistice, marking the end of a war that had claimed 20 million lives.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Frederick Childe Hassam has seen a few presidents come and go.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Frederick Childe Hassam has seen a few presidents come and go.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

The American Monet in the Oval Office?

This is The Avenue in the Rain (1917), by Childe Hassam.

Known as the "American Monet", he returned to the US instead of staying in Paris.

Celebrated at home, but largely overlooked in Europe.

The painting belongs to the White House collection and hangs in the Oval Office.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

The American Monet in the Oval Office?

This is The Avenue in the Rain (1917), by Childe Hassam.

Known as the "American Monet", he returned to the US instead of staying in Paris.

Celebrated at home, but largely overlooked in Europe.

The painting belongs to the White House collection and hangs in the Oval Office.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

In 1879, Renoir met Aline Charigot, a young seamstress from Montmartre.

She soon became his favourite model.

You can spot her playing with a dog in Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881).

They had their first child in 1885.

35 years painting the joy of life. 35 years sharing it with Aline.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

The same artist who painted The Scream also painted this.

Edvard Munch's The Sun is almost its opposite: bright and full of life.

Munch painted darkness, but also light. Life always gives you a second chance.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Monet painted water lilies for almost 30 years.

More than 250 paintings.

Was he obsessed with them? Was he experimenting? Or had he simply found a subject that sold well?

Perhaps a bit of everything.

How many water lilies are too many?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Virginie Amélie Gautreau was famous in Paris for her beauty.

But one fallen dress strap ruined her reputation.

In 1884, John Singer Sargent exhibited her portrait. Critics and the public were scandalised.

Sargent's career in Paris was ruined. He moved to London.

Years later, Sargent called it the best painting he had ever done.

Sometimes a scandal makes a masterpiece.

Madame X, 1884

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Does Degas expose the dark side of ballet?

It would cause a scandal today.

Most young ballerinas came from poor families. Wealthy male subscribers (abonnés) had backstage access and often exploited their position to approach them.

Look at the man in black behind the curtain.

Degas reveals what was happening behind the scenes.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Degas painted around 1,500 works featuring dancers.

But he wasn't really interested in the performance.

Not the ballet as the audience saw it, but the world behind the curtain.

Perhaps we like being unseen spectators?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Degas painted around 1,500 works featuring dancers.

But he wasn't really interested in the performance.

Not the ballet as the audience saw it, but the world behind the curtain.

Perhaps we like being unseen spectators?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Van Gogh died in Auvers-sur-Oise in July 1890.

His brother Theo wanted his funeral to take place in the village church.

The priest refused. Van Gogh was a Protestant and had died by suicide.

The funeral was held at the inn where he had been staying.

Would he have refused if he had known how famous Van Gogh would become?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Manet visited Madrid in 1865, where he encountered Goya's work.

Goya's The Third of May 1808 would later inspire his own Execution of Emperor Maximilian.

Two masters, separated by a generation.

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Édouard Manet, The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 1869

In 1867, Maximilian I of Mexico was executed after Napoleon III abandoned him.

Manet blamed his own government for the tragedy and painted this journalistic masterpiece.

Manet was a rarity in his time. A critic of power.

Should modern artists engage more in political critique?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Édouard Manet, The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 1869

In 1867, Maximilian I of Mexico was executed after Napoleon III abandoned him.

Manet blamed his own government for the tragedy and painted this journalistic masterpiece.

Manet was a rarity in his time. A critic of power.

Should modern artists engage more in political critique?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Spending your life chasing money for this

[Art Gallery @X_ArtGallery]

Pieter Bruegel the Elder – The Triumph of Death, 1563

Death is ravaging the world.

But look closer: Bruegel has hidden many stories

† A king dies while a skeleton steals his gold. Not even wealth can save him.

†† Two lovers keep playing music. A skeleton is already standing behind them.

††† An army of skeletons drives the living into a giant coffin.

Death makes no distinctions: kings, soldiers and lovers all meet the same fate.

If death treats everyone equally, why do we live as if we were different?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

@herfaeryarts Would people rather scroll or binge-watch than meet a friend for a chat?

[Impressions @impression_ists]

Mondays can be different in Venice.

Monet never wanted to visit Venice. He thought it had been painted too many times.

He finally went at 68. He changed his mind, painted 37 canvases and fell in love with the city.

Maybe some places are always worth visiting.