Recently, we visited the Impressionism exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Bringing together two hundred works by forty artists, the exhibition is of an unprecedented scale in the Gulf region. It was curated by Sylvie Patry and Stéphane Guégan, of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, supported by the teams at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and France Muséums. The works shown at the museum have the ambition to guide you through the movement’s evolution and showcase how Impressionists laid the foundation for modern art.
Impressionism as a movement falls within a unique historical period from the mid-1850s to the very end of the nineteenth century, during which the industrial revolution radically reshaped the world and the nature of social relations. (You can read more about Impressionism here. Link to Arte & Lusso article) It can be defined as the artistic production of the men and women who exhibited with the Anonymous Society of Artists from 1874 until 1886, 8 group exhibitions in total. Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, Morisot, and Gustave Caillebotte are core members.
The exhibition opens with two masterpieces, Monet’s Women in the Garden and Manet’s the Balcony. They are both similar in date and theme. While both are filled with figures, the translation of air and light concerned both artists. These two paintings introduce the major themes of this exhibition: Manet’s pioneering role; the rise and development of landscape painting before and after the 1870-1871 war; the Impressionist adventure and the crisis that eventually threatened the solidarity of the Impressionist group.
After this impressive introduction, the exhibition chronologically presents key works of the movement, presenting the artistic activity before, during, and after the Impressionism of 1860s-1890s.
To learn more about impressionism, join us on Saturday, December 17th 2022, for a workshop randez-vous with Impressionists at XVA Gallery.
The Story of Art workshop will feature two lectures, refreshments and lunch, followed by questions and discussion with Dr. Michaela Watrelot on Saturday 17th December from 10.00h to 14:00h.
Places are limited. Book your spot here: https://www.xvagallery.com/events
