Monday, October 7, 2019

The Collection Of Portraits

An unusual portrait- Still Life With Hope was done a decade after the death of Van Gogh, but the sunflowers represent a surrogate portrait of Gauguin's old friend. 


Clovis Asleep depicts Gauguin's son, painted in 1884. 


Here we have another wider view.


Portrait Of Madame Roulin is an 1888 oil on canvas. Gauguin and Van Gogh both painted her, in different ways.


The exhibit did not gloss over Gauguin's complicated, flawed, problematic nature. He abandoned his family, spent time as a privileged colonialist in the South Pacific, and spent time there bedding young girls. Some of his work from this period makes use of native women as subjects. Melancholic (Faaturama) is an 1891 oil of a Tahitian woman in missionary dress.


A panel questions who the subject was for several of the paintings from this period, something he fictionalized in a travel journal.


Tehamana Has Many Parents is also known as The Ancestors Of Tehamana. The 1893 oil on canvas painting mixes the missionary dress with images of the Pacific spirituality.


I emerged from the exhibit back into the corridor leading to the glass tower. Tomorrow we start looking at some Canadian art.

40 comments:

  1. Art is wonderful. As architecture!

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  2. I'm a fan of impressionism. Gauguin's womanizing makes me think of all the recent scandals in music and movies. Some people say radio should not play so and so because he behaved horribly. Yet imagine if we banned the work of all musicians, actors, painters, etc., who took advantage of someone in a carnal way. We would be much poorer culturally. So it is a dilemma.

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  3. Beautiful paintings and beautiful art gallery.

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  4. The paintings are all beautiful ...
    Very nice gallery

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  5. Everywhere should read "The Moon and Sixpence," Somerset Maugham's wonderful novel based loosely on the life of Gaugin.

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  6. I like the building , the Gallery looks very modern and light.

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  7. ...and a beautiful collection!

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  8. Hello,

    The paintings are beautiful. Lovely artwork. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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  9. I had a complete set of postcards with these paintings. I do love his artistic style. He was a complicated man, for sure. :-)

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  10. @Maywyn: very much so.

    @Iris: thank you.

    @Italiafinlandia: true.

    @Linda: and quite a dilemma.

    @Nancy: that it is.

    @Laurie: true.

    @Ella: thanks!

    @Franciso: thank you.

    @David: I haven't read that.

    @Mariane: it is, yes.

    @Tom: definitely!

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @DJan: very much so.

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  11. He was a bit of a cad for sure, but so very talented. Super exhibition William ✨

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  12. A nice collection of this interesting painter.

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  13. I look forward to the Canadian art. We have many great artists.

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  14. Great exhibit. It was interesting to know more about the artist.

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  15. Beautiful works of art and displayed so well against those red walls.

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  16. Nearly as beautiful as my exhibition, lol !

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  17. @Grace: thanks!

    @Jan: I enjoyed it.

    @RedPat: it was well put together.

    @Red: we certainly do.

    @MB: it was quite something to take in.

    @Tamago: I certainly hadn't known a lot about him, aside from works I had seen before.

    @Sharon: that's quite true.

    @Gattina: good one!

    @Agnes: thank you.

    @Bill: that it was.

    @Marie: so do I.

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  18. It looks a good exhibition.

    All the best Jan

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  19. Love van Gogh style of painting and the ornate golden frames. The colour of the walls are so perfect for the paintings.

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  20. I don't know what's more stunning, the paintings or the frames!

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  21. Gorgeous paintings, all of them. I like the work of Van Gogh. Unusual people make the best art, books, etc.....

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  22. @Jan: I enjoyed it.

    @Alexandria: I thought so too.

    @Sandi: some can be quite ornate.

    @Happyone: it was well curated.

    @Michelle: that's true. You wonder at times how Gauguin and Van Gogh got on, being tempestuous personalities.

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  23. Wonderful series detailing Gaugin's work.

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  24. A great place and I love all the art you have shared. Thanks William :)

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  25. Your blog makes me realize that my wife and I just have to make it to Ottawa. Now, how do we escape the grandkids?

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  26. There's a big collection of Gauguin's work at the Musee de Orsay in Paris...with many of his South Pacific sketches and paintings.

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  27. Clovis Asleep is truly beautiful. Very touching.

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  28. @Magiceye: thanks!

    @Denise: you're welcome.

    @Rockinon: very carefully!

    @Kay: I'd enjoy visiting that museum.

    @Jeanie: it did stand out to me.

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  29. October is flying by. hope u r enjoying it. great art! ( ;

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  30. Wonderful portrait collection

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

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