Thursday, January 24, 2019

Masterpieces

Alfred Sisley was born to British parents but raised in France, spending much of his life there based initially in Paris, and then moving for quieter spaces by 1880 where he continued to develop his Impressionist style. This 1882 oil painting is titled Washerwomen, Near Champagne, and finds a group of washerwomen along the banks of the Champagne-sur-Seine.


Bowl With Zinnias And Other Flowers is an 1886 oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, with its bright colours reflecting his recent arrival in Paris.


The master Impressionist Claude Monet painted Rough Sea in 1881. The oil painting has his signature style of beginning a painting with en plein air painting on the spot before moving to the studio, capturing the surf along the French coast.


A more recent acquisition is one that I've included the panel with. Vilhelm Hammershoi painted Sunshine In The Drawing Room in 1910. The Danish artist often used the motif of spare interior rooms and a woman (his wife) present inside in his work. The Gallery acquired this one in 2017, and it was included last year in a special exhibit at the Gallery with Impressionist paintings from the Ordrupgaard gallery in Copenhagen. The exhibit also featured other Hammershoi works. 


Here we have a view from above of the garden courtyard.


Marc Chagall was an early Modernist painter with multiple roots- Russian, French, and Jewish. This painting, The Eiffel Tower, gives a variety of motifs in the mix- the tower, the garden, the boudoir. Painted in 1929, it was the subject of some controversy in the country last year, which the accompanying panel references. The Gallery had sought to purchase a painting at a Quebec parish (visible in the panel) and had moved to place this Chagall up for auction. There was a considerable uproar in the country, funds were brought in by an anonymous donor to ensure the other painting would be kept in Canada, and the Gallery withdrew the Chagall from being auctioned. It has been brought out for display.


The world art section ends in a space that is used for temporary exhibits. Last fall, to mark the centennial of the end of World War One, the exhibit in question became 1918 Halifax Harbour, displaying paintings and sketches from two artists of the harbour and its surroundings, which had been marked by the war- the Halifax Explosion of December 1917 killed nearly two thousand people. We'll have a look at that exhibit tomorrow.

35 comments:

  1. ...beautiful paintings and the frames are works of art.

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  2. São mesmo obras-primas, gostei bastante e aproveito para desejar a continuação de uma boa semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    O prazer dos livros

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  3. How else? :) I love Van Gogh so much ...
    The painting is real and masterpiece and also the frames ...

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  4. These are all my favourite painters !!

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  5. Hello, lovely paintings. I agree with Tom above the frames are beautiful too. Have a happy day!

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  6. @Tom: I agree.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Ella: he was a genius.

    @Joan: it stands out nicely.

    @Gattina: they were great!

    @Eileen: thank you!

    @Whisk: that they are.

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  7. yeah, i really enjoy the flowers most. nice blooms!! ( ;

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  8. Love that uncharacteristically happy picture by Van Gogh. :-)

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  9. Wonderful! Love the Hammershoi interiors. Alfred Sisley too and the Van Gogh is joyous:)

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  10. Paris in the late 1880's early 1900's must have been amazing! So many incroyable artists and writers. Enjoyed seeing all of these paintings William, merci beaucoup ✨

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  11. Sisley, Monet and Chagall -- you're hitting my biggies today!

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  12. I'd never seen a Hammershoi, and I'm so glad to be introduced to his work. It's use of space and light is peaceful and inviting, much like your following photo of the garden space from above.

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  13. I saw a lot of Marc Chagall when I was working in Chicago. I had never seen that Eiffel Tower painting before. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. I've never liked the fancy frames . However, they are from an older time and go right along with the painting.

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  15. @Beth: thank you.

    @DJan: quite happy.

    @Rosie: thanks!

    @Grace: I enjoyed showing them.

    @Jeanie: and they're such good ones.

    @Barbara: he has a distinctive style.

    @Sharon: you're welcome.

    @Red: that's true.

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  16. That van Gogh is beautiful! Wow!

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  17. They are all beautiful. I love the Van Gogh and Monet .

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  18. I just try to imagine what goes through the minds of artists---what do they see that maybe we don't. And the imagination---goodness!
    MB

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  19. Not only the paintings are beautiful, somehow the view from above of the garden courtyard makes me feel happy ...

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  20. Very interesting post! So many colors and artists.

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  21. @RedPat: it is!

    @Marie: indeed!

    @Bill: thanks!

    @MB: true.

    @Italiafinlandia: it is.

    @Jan: I can see that.

    @Molly: thanks!

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  22. I think I like the Hammershoi painting the best. Wonderful display of light through the window.

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  23. A selection of some beautiful pieces. I particularly like this period.

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  24. Hello William!
    Such beautiful paintings! Like the Monet!
    Have a lovely!
    Dimi...

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  25. Awesome! Such creativity!


    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  26. I love the frames! Well, the paintings, too!

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  27. Such beautiful paintings here.

    All the best Jan

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  28. Chagall's Eiffel Tower looks cool.

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  29. @Catalyst: I've seen others of his, since this painting was acquired, as there was a Danish gallery that had a temporary exhibit of Impressionist painters here, and several of his works were part of it.

    @Kay: I do as well.

    @Dimi: thank you.

    @Nancy: me too.

    @Carol: thanks!

    @Happyone: it's a good one.

    @Jennifer: me too.

    @Jan: definitely.

    @Klara: I think so too.

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