Serenity Now!: Top 5 Quiet Moments in Neo-Impressionism and the Dream of Realities

As the hectic holiday season approaches, our minds are struggling to determine how it could be November already, our bodies are caffeinated by pumpkin spice lattes or peppermint mochas, our arms ache thinking of the impending burden of shopping bags, and our stomachs are soon-to-be overstuffed with turkey and the subsequent leftovers (mashed potatoes for days). Need a break from reality? Our Neo-Impressionism and the Dream of Realities: Painting, Poetry, Music exhibition offers an excellent opportunity for visitors to slow down and embrace stillness, if only for an hour. Behold, the top five quiet moments from the show:

5. Theo van Rysselberghe’s The Scheldt Upstream from Antwerp, Evening

Theo van Rysselberghe, The Scheldt Upstream from Antwerp, Evening, 1892. Oil on canvas, 26 3/4 x 35 1/2 in. Collection of Bruce and Robbi Toll

Theo van Rysselberghe, The Scheldt Upstream from Antwerp, Evening, 1892. Oil on canvas, 26 3/4 x 35 1/2 in. Private collection

The intense, complementary hues of yellow and purple create a magical atmosphere in this painting by van Rysselberghe. The mood is quiet, yet joyful, as we see the sun setting on a picturesque view of the Scheldt while a boat quietly sails past. The anchor poles and their relflection in the water provide a gentle rhythm to the composition, urging us to reflect on the day’s end and welcome nightfall.

 

4. Albert Dubois-Pillet’s The Seine at Paris

The Seine at Paris, 1888. Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 39 1/8 in. (79.9 x 99.5 cm). Private collection

Albert Dubois-Pillet, The Seine at Paris, 1888. Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 39 1/8 in. (79.9 x 99.5 cm). Private collection

Dubois-Pillet’s The Seine at Paris depicts that intangible, quiet moment amidst city chaos anyone who’s ever lived in an urban metropolis has sought at one point or another. Here, he paints Paris on the verge of another day, before the hustle and bustle begin. The sunlight is peeking over the buildings as the boats on the Seine await their captains, their engines slowing coming to life emitting puffs of steam in the chilly morning air. It allows a moment of contemplative meditation as the dreams of night fade and the reality of day emerges.

 

3. Georges Seurat’s The Channel of Gravelines, Grand-Fort Philippe

Georges Seurat, The Channel of Gravelines, Grand-Fort Philippe, 1890. Oil on canvas, 25 1/2 x 31 7/8 in. (65 x 81 cm). National Gallery, London, Bought with the aid of a  grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, 1995

Georges Seurat, The Channel of Gravelines, Grand-Fort Philippe, 1890. Oil on canvas, 25 1/2 x 31 7/8 in. (65 x 81 cm). National Gallery, London, Bought with the aid of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, 1995

Seurat’s Channel of Gravelines, Grand-Fort Philippe proves that you don’t have to depict the morning, evening, or night to create a work that encourages the viewer to take a moment and let time stand still. In this painting, Seurat depicts accurately the landscape of Gravelines on the Normandy coast but removes all traces of human life in favor of a powerfully silent composition that is both peaceful and unsettling. The painting’s long vista and high horizon line encourage a meandering glance across the surface while the muted blues and yellows and Seurat’s pointillist technique softens and obscures any semblance of reality.

 

2. Charles Angrand’s The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan, 1895. Conté crayon. 33 x 24 in. (84 x 61 cm). Private collection

Charles Angrand, The Good Samaritan, 1895. Conté crayon, 33 x 24 in. (84 x 61 cm). Private collection

It took Angrand about three years to complete this drawing. THREE. YEARS. And it’s perfect. The figures of the samaritan, the man he’s hoisting onto the horse, and the horse seem to materialize from out of the darkness. The more you look and meditate on the picture, the more intricate and beautiful the details emerge. Angrand began as a painter but found his greatest artistic expression in Conté crayon and soon quit painting altogether to create masterworks such as this one.

 

1. Maximilien Luce’s Camaret, Moonlight and Fishing Boats

Camaret, Moonlight, and Fishing Boats, 1894. Oil on canvas. 28 1/2 x 36 1/4 in. (72.4 x 92.1 cm). Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase,  Museum Shop Fund, and funds given by Gary Wolff,  the Stephen F. Brauer and Camilla T. Brauer Charitable Trust,  the Pershing Charitable Trust, the Kate Stamper Wilhite  Charitable Foundation, the William Schmidt Charitable  Foundation, the John R. Goodall Charitable Trust,  Nooter Corporation, Eleanor C. Johnson, Mrs. Winifred Garber,  Hunter Engineering, the Joseph H. & Elizabeth E. Bascom  Charitable Foundation, the Stephen M. Boyd Fund, Robert  Brookings Smith, Irma Haeseler Bequest, BSI Constructors  Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Latzer, Samuel C. Davis Jr., Dr.  and Mrs. William H. Danforth, Mr. and Mrs. George Conant,  Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cramer, Dr. and Mrs. David M. Kipnis,  Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell, Edith B. Schiele, and donors  to the Art Enrichment Fund, 29:1998

Maximilien Luce, Camaret, Moonlight and Fishing Boats, 1894. Oil on canvas, 28 1/2 x 36 1/4 in. (72.4 x 92.1 cm). Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase, Museum Shop Fund, and funds given by Gary Wolff, the Stephen F. Brauer and Camilla T. Brauer Charitable Trust, the Pershing Charitable Trust, the Kate Stamper Wilhite Charitable Foundation, the William Schmidt Charitable Foundation, the John R. Goodall Charitable Trust, Nooter Corporation, Eleanor C. Johnson, Mrs. Winifred Garber, Hunter Engineering, the Joseph H. & Elizabeth E. Bascom Charitable Foundation, the Stephen M. Boyd Fund, Robert Brookings Smith, Irma Haeseler Bequest, BSI Constructors Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Latzer, Samuel C. Davis Jr., Dr. and Mrs. William H. Danforth, Mr. and Mrs. George Conant, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cramer, Dr. and Mrs. David M. Kipnis, Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell, Edith B. Schiele, and donors to the Art Enrichment Fund, 29:1998

Is there anything more peaceful than observing a moonlit seashore in Normandy as boats bob gently up and down in the harbor while the world around you sleeps? I don’t think so. Luce was brilliant at utilizing deep blues and purples to evoke a quiet dreaminess in this and other works on view in the exhibition. Critic Gustave Geffroy praised this painting when it was exhibited in 1894 in Paris, writing “It is Camaret at night, the boats sleeping in the atmosphere of purple velvet, on the mysterious, phosphorescent sea…” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Neo-Impressionism and the Dream of Realities: Painting, Poetry, Music is on view through January 11, 2015.

Sneak Peek into Neo-Impressionism and the Dream of Realities

Guest Curator Cornelia Homburg and Associate Registrar Trish Waters go over the proposed layout of the exhibition.

Exhibition Curator Cornelia Homburg and Associate Registrar Trish Waters go over the proposed layout of the exhibition.

With less than two weeks before the opening of Neo-Impressionism and the Dream of Realities: Painting, Poetry, Music, the walls have been constructed and freshly painted. Now for the tricky part: finalizing the layout of the exhibition and making sure all of the artworks find their appropriate wall space in the thematic sections. Good thing we have a to-scale 3D model of our 3rd floor to aid us in placement and provide a great foreground for pensive photo-ops of our exhibitions team.

Lending Lotte: Loan Process and Popular Requests at the Phillips

As any curator knows, the first important step in organizing an exhibition is creating and securing a checklist of works that perfectly illustrate the theme of your show, often from many collections in the US and abroad. At the Phillips, we receive dozens of requests for objects in our collection each year, and we do our best to accommodate as many requests as possible while maintaining the integrity and security of our works. Lending our beloved collection to venues around the world increases the Phillips’s exposure to populations not familiar with our institution and allows us to form and strengthen relationships with museums and galleries.

When we receive a request for an object in our collection, our conservators first check the condition of the object to assess if it is stable enough to travel. They also factor in how frequently the work has traveled recently and condition reports from requesting museums (which indicate security measures, gallery conditions, light levels, etc.). Once the work has been OK’d to travel by our conservators, the request is then discussed in a quarterly meeting with the director, curators, and registrars to see if the request conflicts with any upcoming exhibition or installation plans. If the work is approved to travel during that meeting but has a high insurance value, it will then go to the board for approval. Otherwise, once the work has been cleared by curatorial, preparations begin for its travel.

Over the past few years, a few works have become very popular and have racked up quite the number of frequent flier miles and requests. It may come as no surprise that we receive regular requests for our Luncheon of the Boating Party, van Goghs, Bonnards, and O’Keeffes, but some popular pieces may surprise you.

While many of our masterpieces have accumulated stamps in their passports the past few years, few have traveled or been requested more than the current “it” girl of The Phillips Collection, Oskar Kokoschka’s Portrait of Lotte Franzos from 1909.

Oskar Kokoschka, Portrait of Lotte Franzos, 1909. Oil on canvas. 45 1/4 x 31 1/4 in. (114.9 x 79.4 cm). Acquired 1941.

Oskar Kokoschka, Portrait of Lotte Franzos, 1909. Oil on canvas. 45 1/4 x 31 1/4 in. (114.9 x 79.4 cm). Acquired 1941.

Number of requests since 2000: 22

Recent travels:

  • National Gallery, London, “The Portrait in Vienna, 1900,” October 9, 2013-January 12, 2014
  • Neue Gallery, New York, “Vienna 1900: Style and Identity,” February 3, 2011 – June 27, 2011
  • Wellcome Collection, London, “Madness and Modernity: Mental Illness and the Visual Arts in Vienna 1900,” April 1—July 14, 2009
  • Reunion des Musées Nationaux (Grand Palais/Musée d’Orsay), Paris, “Klimt, Kokoschka, Moser, Schiele,” September 1, 2005—February 1, 2006

I recently had the privilege of escorting Lotte back from an exhibition in London this past January, and even though her expression may read a bit world weary (jet lag can be brutal), I can assure you all the travel has not diminished her vibrant beauty. Due to the large number of requests she’s getting, it’s safe to assume that this evocative portrait has risen to a new prominence in Kokoschka’s oeuvre.

On the subject of traveling across international borders: most seasoned travelers know that when flying between countries, there are certain food products that will get held up at customs. Specifically, in many cases, cured meats. However, painted depictions of such contraband are not subject to those rules. Which brings me to….

Paul Gauguin, The Ham, 1889. Oil on canvas, 19 3/4 x 22 3/4 in. Acquired 1951.

Paul Gauguin, The Ham, 1889. Oil on canvas, 19 3/4 x 22 3/4 in. Acquired 1951.

Paul Gauguin‘s The Ham, recently back from a Gauguin retrospective in Korea. What more can one say about The Ham that hasn’t already been said here, here, and here? It’s….a ham. Albeit, a gorgeously depicted one. This work, already a favorite amongst Phillips staff, has become quite popular with 11 requests from international and domestic institutions in the past 10 years. I guess you could say other museums are hungry for a piece of this delicious masterpiece! Apologies, but I had to say it.