Art education takes many forms and when you’re building a DIY program like I am, you rely on locally offered classes, online courses, and visits to art museums. Last summer we visited the Frye Art Museum’s exhibit “Towards Impressionism: Landscape Painting from Corot to Monet.” The exhibit explored “the development of French landscape painting from the schools of Barbizon and Honfleur up to Impressionism.”
My knowledge of art history is slim at best, but I’m eager to learn. I went to the exhibit without knowing anything about French landscape painting, oil painting, the French schools of thought on painting, impressionism, or any of the key players during this movement with the exception of being vaguely aware of Monet and his impressionist style (Thank you, Cher!). After studying the paintings and reading all the informative placards throughout the exhibit, I was filled with appreciation, excitement and new eyes for seeing the landscape around me.
To say it was a stunning exhibit falls short in describing the experience. Do you know the scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when the three truant teens visit the Art Institute of Chicago? As the music reaches its climax, Cameron finds himself caught in an intensely contemplative moment. Standing before George Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, the camera follows Cameron’s gaze deeper and deeper into the pixelated image. The French landscapes pulled me into their water, trees, and skies in just the same way.
Because I was keen to further my education, I took many reference photos and notes during my visit to the museum. It’s always been my hope to share what I learned from the exhibit with others. My hope is that others who dream of an art education and must find it off of the beaten path will be inspired to make the most of opportunities like this one in their own communities.
I’ll be featuring information gathered from the exhibit along with photos taken at the exhibit in the coming days. Our first featured artist will be Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, who is the artist of the piece featured in this post. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post when I’ll share more about him and his work!