Season Three, Episode Six: The day at the Museum: Impressionist and Beyond at de Young, part I

I’m very grateful that Musée d’Orsay is going through major renovations in preparation for its 25^th Anniversary in 2011; it’s been long overdue. I remember when I was living in Paris, I used to go visit d’Orsay almost every week (thanks to my American University of Paris ID card, which got me in to most of the Parisians Museums (60, in total) for free); I remember that whenever I’d go, I’d only see certain sections at one time because the lighting in some sections (the Salle des Colonnes in particular) was really terrible at times, so you’d have to go at a certain time to get some good ambient lighting. Also, the current layout as it was back then was a little hard to follow, and when it got busy, I always felt a bit claustrophobic. It felt a bit disjointed, and a bit disorganized; there was not a cohesive stylistic, thematic, or chronological organization to the collection.

Another big plus (and more relevant for us who live in San Francisco) is that because of the renovation, the museum is lending out some of its collection as a part of a “traveling tour”. I missed the first exhibit “The Birth of Impressionism”, and I’m bummed because I missed some of my favorite artists’ masterpieces (Courbet, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pisarro, Renoir), and some of my favorite pieces from d’Orsay: “The Dancing Lesson” by Degas, “The Gare Saint-Lazare” by Monet, and “The Birth of Venus” by William Bouguereau (which, in my opinion, comes awfully close in matching the radiance and the astounding beauty of the original, painted by Botticelli).

Not to be amiss, I made sure that I came to see the second exhibit: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay. I was pretty stoked because Impressionism/Post-Impressionism is my FAVORITE art movement; the thing that I like about it most is that there is something for everyone: there's something to appreciate, irrespetive of the viewer's art knowledge. You don't necessarily have to know everything about the paitner, or the subject for that matter; you can always appreciate the intricate brushstrokes, the color contrast, the different techniques employed, etc.

I know the Van Gogh exhibits are getting all the press, and for good reasons. “Starry Night (La nuit étoilée” is arguably one of Van Gogh’s (and the Impressionist movement’s) best known piece. I’ve always been awestruck by the sheer brilliance of the painting. This painting represents the pinnacle of Van Gogh’s disposition in life; irrespective of his mental instability, his use of the muted blue and green palettes contrasted with the yellow palettes gives way to the illusion of dancing lights from the stars and the radiating lights from the city and with his vivid and empathic brush strokes he’s conveying a message of hope and divinity as represented by the subtle connection between the two lovers in the foreground and the constellation of yellow stars in the sky.

His use of bright colors certainly influenced other artists (Gauguin, in particular) of his time. But there’s more to see in this exhibit.

One of my favorite post-impressionist painters is George Seurat. Unfortunately, one of my all-time favorite paintings “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” was not part of the collection (this painting is located in the Art Institute of Chicago), but there are a number of his works shown in the exhibit, including his sketch study for Le Cirque: even in this sketch, you can appreciate the uplifting effects of his use of color and optics, his upward sweeping lines expressing the lively pleasures of the circus.

Also, make sure to NOT miss the other great works of the “pointillism” artists like Paul Signac (Women at the Well, Entrance to the Port of Marseille), Georges Lemmen (Plage a Heist (The Beach at Heist) and Théo van Rysselberghe (The Man at the Tiller, Sailing Boats and Estuary). I was especially impressed with van Rysselberghe’s work with “Sailing Boats and Estuary” because he utilized all the colors of the rainbow in this painting, in spite of using mostly a bluish palette to represent the sky and the water; you had to look at the painting closely to identify the other colors. And Signac’s work (especially the Women at the Well) is just phenomenal; he painted this painting after Seurat’s untimely death (he died at age 31), and perfected his mentor’s uncanny technique of juxtaposing colors to create a very intense color harmonies that evoke a very Utopian daily life at St. Tropez in the 1890s.

Tips for all of you who’d like to see it: See it on a weekday preferably after lunch (2-3pm is good)! Also, just as an FYI, they are normally closed on Mondays, except for December 27^th, and MLK Jr Day (January 17, 2011). They also have extended hours during the holiday season (Sunday December 26^th – Thursday, December 30^th and from Thursday January 6th – Sunday January 9^th, 2011 it’s open from 9:30am – 9pm) . Ticket information: Students are $16 w/ ID and adults are $20. Although I would suggest for students to get the annual FAMSF membership for $55/year; it’ll totally pay for itself. As a member, you receive 4 free tickets (+4 companion tickets) to see the exhibit (though only 1+1 companion ticket at a time), and other special exhibits, plus, you get into the Legion of Honor for free too! Other enticing upcoming exhibits at the de Young include “Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico” from February 19 – May 8 2011, “Balenciaga and Spain” from March 26 – July 4 2011, and “Picasso from Musée National Picasso, Paris” from June 11 – September 25 2011.

There’s too much to talk about in one sitting (I haven’t even discussed Cezanne, Gauguin, the Pont-Aven School, and the Nabi yet), so we’ll pick it up where we left off at the next column!