| New York Art World.com |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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The
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts • Montreal Quebec • 514 285
1600
Right Under the Sun: On View: September 22, 2005 to January 8, 2006 |
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The
exhibition which proposes a new interpretation of painting in Provence
from the end of the 18th to the early 20th centuries.
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The
exhibition will present more than 200 works by some 60 artists.
It will trace the ways in whcih the Provencal landscape was portrayed
by a series of artistic movements: Classicism, Naturalism, Impressionism,
Post Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism.
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The paintings by French artists will be complemented by Provencal landscapes by North American artists such as Thomas Cole and James Wilson Morrice, as well as drawings, photographs, postcards, touris guides, and posters. |
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The
exhibition will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalog
featuring numerous essays. It is co-published by the Montreal Museum
of Fine Arts and Snoeck Publishers, of Ghent, Belgium.
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ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN CREATIVE MASTERS Since time immemorial, poets, writers, and painters have celebrated the beauty of the Mediterranean coast, especially the brilliant light, mild climate, and diversity of landscapes in Provence. Avignon and Aix-en-Provence were major centers of artistic production during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and Provence continued to be a hive of creative activity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Several 18th century artists, including Jean-Honore Fragonard, were born in this region. In the 19th century, Provence became popular with vacationers, and many major artists were drawn there by the light, leading to an explosion of talent and to encounters between creative masters. Right Under the Sun will offer a fresh look at the artistic impact of Provence's dazzling light and panoramic views, as well as at artist's fascination with the Mediterranean "Orient". |
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THE STORY OF ART IN PROVENCE Right Under the Sun, which picks up the story of art in in Provence in the mid-18th century, will be organized in 3 sections: In a New Light (1750-1830), Before Impressionism--The Rise of the School of Marseille (1830-1880), and Post-Impressionism and the Fauves (1880-1920). GENERAL CURATORS RIGHT UNDER THE SUN: Guy Cogeval, Marie-Paul Vial, Nicolas Cendo, Vincent Pomarede, and Benoit Coutancier.
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IN
A NEW LIGHT In
Provence during this period, the major trends in painting found
expression in fantastic landscapes, Arcadian scenes, and the "Italian"
vision of the area, as painters bathed both land and objects in
a golden light. The exhibition will open with works by such artists
as Jena-Soseph Xavier Bidault, Hubert Robert, and Vernet, whose
spectacular views were dominated by the sky. Xavier Bidault, Jean-Antooine
Constantin (a key figure in Provencal painting at the time), and
Hubert Robert took their inspiration from the serene yet also wild
and brooding nature of the region, the natural curiosities of which
provided an extensive source of subject matter.
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BEFORE IMPRESSIONSIM--THE RISE OF THE SCHOOL OF MARSEILLE (1830-1880) This
section will reveal how a more realistic view of the landscape emerged
among artists born in Provence. The light became morecrystalline,
carving out shapes instead of softening them, and the elegiac view
of the landscape gave way to greater interest in everyday activities,
social life, and changes brought about by industrial developement.
One of the contributions of these artists was the panoramic format
that some of them, most notably Loubon--the figure around whome
the School of Marseilles developed--employed. Loubon's predilection
for landscape was shared by Paul Guigou, Marius Engalieres, and
Auguste Aiguier, among others. Moreover, with the opening of the
Suez Canal, in 1869, Marseille became known as the gateway to the
so-called "Orient" -- including North Africa and the Near
East -- inspiring a number of artists, among them Francois Barry,
Fabius, Maurice Bompart, and Jules Laurens, to travel to that area.
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POST-IMPRESSIONISM
AND THE FAUVES (1880-1920) |
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On
View: Contact:
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Artists:
Hubert Robert, Joseph Vernet, Emile Loubon, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Paul Signac, Albert Marquet, Charles Camoin, Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, and George Braque. |