Then, on my first trip to Paris, I saw the real Renoirs in the Jeu de Paume in Paris, and I sat on the bench in the gallery and CRIED. They were so staggeringly alive!!! So REAL! I saw many other great paintings, too, and I learned that there was no comparison between the print and the original work.
Fast forward to this week, museum outing #2, with my painter sister-in-law who is visiting. An exhibition called MONET: THE LATE YEARS is on at the fabulous Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, and we made a day of it.
It was amazing. It was curated by the Kimbell, and only traveled to one other city, San Francisco. There are over fifty paintings from the last decade of Monet's life. He had suffered great personal loss in 1914, the deaths of his wife and his eldest son. He was also losing his eyesight to cataracts.
After a fallow period spent grieving, he painted feverishly until the end of his life in 1926, confining his subjects to his house and garden at Giverny. His style changed dramatically. Here is early Monet from the Impressionist period, all soft and dreamy, the palette muted.
Here are some of the later paintings from the exhibition.
Look at the energy and passion, the bold brushstrokes and heavy paint in some of these last paintings.
Of course I bought the exhibition book--it was a once in a lifetime memento, and fascinating reading. I'm going to be thinking about these paintings for a long time.
Reds and readers, what was the first fine art you ever saw in person, and how did it affect you?
One of the first I remember seeing is still my favorite: Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” And I thought Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” was creepy . . . .
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirst? I can't remember the first, but I do have many fond memories of the Kimball. Isn't The Birth of Venus hanging there, Botticelli?
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate you are to go to the Monet exhibit. I do remember the first time I saw one other than a print. It was as the Musee Marmatton in Paris. It is almost all Monet, and there is a room with a center seat, walls covered with waterlilies and bridges and scenes from Giverny. These paintings, as you saw yesterday in the Kimball, are enormous, measured in feet, not inches.
Talk about Stendahl Syndrome!
Oh my ... that would have been on a school field trip to the Huntington in LA which is loaded with Gainsboroughs - Pinkie? Blue Boy? Feh. In college I remember seeing my first Monets at the Met. Guernica at MOMA. Revelatory. I ended up minoring in art history. It’s lasted a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteHallie, you would adore this exhibit. The audio tour I think is done by the two curators, and it was fascinating. There's even a little film of Monet painting in his garden.
DeleteI saw Guernica when it was at MOMA, too, Hallie, and it just took my breath away. I'd seen scads of reproductions in books, but the actual painting takes up a whole wall, and does a remarkable job of invoking the fear and chaos of that attack.
DeleteMy grandparents had an evocative watercolor of a sailboat. My mother kept it after she and my dad divorced, and it hangs on my living room wall now. It's by Richard Gruelle, one of the five Hoosier group artists, who painted at the same time as Monet. I love gazing at the subleties in the colors and landscape.
ReplyDeleteEdith, what a treasure! I've seen some of those Hoosier artists exhibited but I can't remember where.
DeleteWe saw a similar late Monet exhibit in Rome in 2017. His abstract paintings blew me away. I looked at a photo of the gardens and then immersed myself in each painting.
ReplyDeleteI remember taking my arty youngest to the Wyeth exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta. We learned how to make egg tempera (dry pigment mixed with distilled water and egg yolk). I then showed her a 16th century Italian religious work also painted with tempera. Heady stuff for both of us.
Oh, Wyeth! So fabulous!
DeleteSadly, I cannot remember seeing any original paintings although I do remember going to the Clark in Williamstown so I am sure I saw many. Guess I know what I better get busy doing pronto!
ReplyDeleteCan't remember my first. I love visiting museums and galleries while travelling and will never forget seeing DaVinci's La Joconde at Le Louvre . My most recent experience was last fall in Cairns, Australia with an aboriginal dreamtime painting: I sat there for a long time feeling completely engulfed and in awe, it spoke to my soul. I noted the name of the artist but can't remember it right now.
ReplyDeleteOh, the Aboriginal dreamings! I was also so taken with them in Sydney. I bought two small ones (all I could afford), and have them framed between two panes of glass so we can read the artists' interpretations on the reverse.
DeleteI would love to see those!
DeleteA school field trip to the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio), where I was completely immersed in the ancient artifacts. Paintings I remember from the Cleveland Art Museum. A Frederick Church painting--those large canvases of the raw American wilderness, brooding. My favorite though was the Rembrandt--still look for it every time I go. On my walls mostly prints--Vermeer and Picasso, with original artwork that I pick up when I get a chance to peruse the small galleries in the French Quarter.
ReplyDeleteFlora, was that when you decided you wanted to study archeology?
DeleteDebs, the interest came before this visit--I think I was always interested in other cultures--in the past--but seeing things firsthand--not in a book--certainly fueled my desire!
DeleteMonet had cataract surgery in 1923. I had no idea they were doing cataract surgery in the 1920s. No one knows if it made a difference in his paintings, and he didn't sign or date most of the later works.
ReplyDeleteThose are all my photos above. They allow you to take photographs, and you can get very close to the paintings. I cropped out the frames so you can really see the technique in the paintings.
ReplyDeleteI've always like Van Gogh (especially Starry Night) but until a couple of years ago I didn't see the point of impressionistic painting. Why look at blurry stuff that makes me feel like I took my glasses off, right? Then I saw one of the Water Lilies painting in a museum. I literally stopped in my tracks. Debs is right: prints are *nothing* like seeing the real thing. I was drawn in my the color and texture and couldn't stop looking at details. It was completely amazing. Now I more artists to look for when I visit museums. (You're still my favorite, Vincent.)
ReplyDeleteI saw Starry Night in MOMA a few years ago and was surprised at how small it is! Still amazing.
My mother was an art teacher, so I grew up in museums. We went to the Nelson-Atkins Gallery of Fine Art in Kansas City the way other kids went to Six Flags. So I can't say exactly what the first real art I saw was, but I can tell you two pivotal moments in my art appreciation. The first was simple: it was the day my mother let go of my hand. Moms keep little kids under tight control in public places, but sooner or later there comes a time when a mom trusts her kid enough to turn loose. On that magical day, I finally got to see the art at MY pace, skipping things that didn't interest me, and lingering long over pieces that spoke to me. I got to look at the art, rather than be dragged past the art.
ReplyDeleteThe second time came when I was in college. Like Deb, we had prints hanging in our house, and the one I can remember from earliest childhood was Van Gogh's Starry Night. I loved it, and one day, loose in New York on a spring break trip, I got to the top of the stairs at the old Museum of Modern Art, turned left into the gallery, and there it was. The real deal. It took my breath away. I'm on vacation this week, and I hope I can get over to Fort Worth to see the Monet.
Oh, there is a Renoir exhibit coming to the Kimbell in October!! So if you are coming to Bouchercon, allow an extra day. Downtown Fort Worth is thirty miles from downtown Dallas, so with a car (or a carpool) you could easily go in a half day. The Kimbell is a gorgeous museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn. I think it's one of the most beautiful museums in the world.
ReplyDeleteOh, I can’t remember my first time, but I do remember the time I saw my favorite favorite painting at the time, called Deer in the Forest by Franz Marc . My father knew I loved it, and we were at the Corcoran in Washington DC, and I did not know it was there. He said: come with me, and we turned the corner, and there it was. I burst into tears.
ReplyDeleteThe Impressionists are particular favorites of mine, especially Berthe Morisot, one of the rare women painting during that time period with any success.
ReplyDeleteI have no memory of my first encounter with amazing art, but two memories of art stopping me in my tracks come to mind. Both happened with my friend Judy. She took me and another friend to the Maryhill Museum, in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington State. The museum has a peculiar collection of focal points: local history that includes the Queen of Romania (her coronation gown is on display, complete with over 20 feet of train), watercolors, Rodin sculptures, and the Theatre de la Mode. Theatre is a collection of one-third life-size wire mannequins used by the French couture industry to sell their wares during WWII. The dolls were dressed in to-scale couture garments, complete with real leather shoes and handbags, hats, gloves, belts, and even real jewels (most of the jewels were lost over the decades). These dolls kept the fashion industry in Paris alive during the war and occupation of Paris, being sent all over the world to prospective buyers.
Maryhill only exhibits two of the four themed collections at a time, but they are incredible. My favorite of the two I've seen was Witchcraft, which takes its theme from the old standard song of the same name. The gowns are ethereal, and the dolls are posed riding the sky and in other amazing ways, complete with a starry backdrop. If you want to learn more, start here: https://www.maryhillmuseum.org/inside/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/theatre-de-la-mode
There is also a wonderful book of the entire story, from conception to execution (photos of Parisian seamstresses using sewing machines powered by bicycle), to the loss and subsequent discovery of the collection long after the war. It's a fascinating story.
The other gasp-worthy moment was in Paris, also with Judy, who led the trip to Europe which was my first visit there. I had seen miniatures of both the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the exquisite Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, but seeing them in person at the Louvre was life-changing.
I don't remember the first art I saw. We lived outside of a New York City when I was a child and my parents used to take us to the galleries and museums on a regular basis. Since my brother is nine years older, I was in museums in my pre-memory days.
ReplyDeleteThe show that made the biggest impression on me was when the Hermitage Collection came to Washington, DC. I must have gone back ten times while the exhibit was in residence. To think of all that art, collected over so many generations. It took my breath away to see so many of the paintings in person that I had only read about or viewed in prints or photos.
Your remark about Monet painting through his vision loss reminded me of a story. One of my best friends is a fantastic impressionist artist. She started in grade school and only painted in the impressionist style. In high school it was discovered she had awful eyesight. She wasn't painting in a style, that was her realist view of the world around her. She still paints, but never with her contacts or glasses. She says she likes painting the world with soft edges now that she knows the difference!
Not a painting, but I saw Michelangelo’s Pieta at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. Being in the presence of such an old and exquisite piece was breathtaking. Years later, I saw it again at Vatican City, and had the same reaction.
ReplyDeleteI can’t remember the first time I saw an original painting. In college I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to do research for an art appreciation project. I remember thinking that I wish I could visit just one room a day; there was so much to take in!
DebRo
I also saw the Pieta at the age of 11 or 12 with my mother in New York. I’m not sure why she wanted to see this exhibition because otherwise she had a strong aversion to Catholicism which I think she inherited from her mother. My grandmother was a Jew who grew up in the early 20th century in Catholic Poland and who, according to my mother would always spit when she would see nuns in habits or priests in clerical garb. Both my parents were pretty secular as young adults and I think my mother wanted to see what it meant for a mother to lose an adult son.
DeleteI soon after read Irving Stone’s book, The Agony and the Ecstasy. It was there that I became familiar with the story that Michelangelo felt that the sculpture was in the block of marble and it was his job simply to uncover it. I’ve never been to Europe but an artist friend of mine, brought home some close-up photographs of details of much art including the famous statue of David. Even in photographs I found it stunning.
I have been to a couple of museums. The De Young in San Francisco while on a high school field trip. History museums as a kid here in Sonoma county when we were studying California history. Unfortunately nothing stands out as memorable. About 20 years ago I went to the Legion of Honor for an organ concert. A major exhibit had been transferred from the De Young so there long lines for parts of the museum. I saw paintings in the other parts of the museum while waiting for the concert but again nothing stands out. I think because I was there for music the actual art and artists blended into the day. I don't remember what was actually play either, if that makes a difference. I remember seeing ads for the Money exhibit when it was in San Francisco, after reading about your trip I wish I had been able to see it.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have two watercolors painted by my great aunts. They weren't famous but I like having them on my walls.
I will be off the grid until Saturday, fair warning, JR's and commenter buddies. I'm off in minutes to drive four hours to join a hundred other women writers in all genres on a pristine lake in the Adirondacks writing up a storm - entirely without Internet or cell service. You won't see me here, but rest assured I'll be cranking out some word count and learning from others, too.
ReplyDeleteEdith, have a great and creative time! So jealous!!
DeleteHave a great time!
DeleteThe colors! A reproduction cannot do the colors justice. Back in 1996 we visited the Prado in Madrid and got to see masterpieces up close and personal. The colors just knocked me out. I remember examining a painting down to the gilt lace on a sleeve. Rembrandt or Vermeer, I can't remember. About ten years ago a traveling exhibit of Impressionists came to the MFAH here in Houston. Again, those colors! Van Gogh exhibit was here recently and, of course, I had to go see it. My husband doesn't get it, but fortunately my grown son does and is my art exhibit partner!
ReplyDeleteBotticelli at the Uffizi in Firenze. I was undone!
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, Jenn, me, too! They are just stunning!
DeleteIt wasn't the first piece of art I ever saw, but I can tell you what the first piece of art is that I fell completely and utterly in love with. It is Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci at The National Gallery of Art in D.C. When my husband was stationed at the Pentagon, my favorite place to visit was the National Gallery of Art, and when I saw this girl in her protective glass, closely guarded by security, I understood why she was so well protected. She is perfection, and the painting is the only one of da Vinci's in the Americas. It is two-sided, with the back bearing her motto meaning "Beauty Adorns Virtue." I would stand and stare at this painting until I'm quite sure the guard thought I was either backward or plotting a theft. I think the rarity of it plays a part in my love for it, too. It just gobsmacks me every time I see it. I need to get to D.C. and see it again, soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, here's a link to the painting on The National Gallery site. https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50724.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, Kathy! I was thinking as I read that I'd have to look it up:-) She is so beautiful.
DeleteBeautiful post today! Your story about the Monet reminds me of when I saw Monet paintings. It looks very similar to my great aunt's painting of me when I was three years old. My parents sent her a photo of me and my great aunt painted a portrait of me from that photo! It is my favorite photo. I just love the colors of Monet and Degas paintings.
ReplyDeleteDiana
Seeing "Titus" by Rembrandt at the Norton Simon in Pasadena transfixed me. It's believed that this is a portrait of the artist's son. The sweetness of that little boy's face resonates down the years. It's the one original that has made me cry.
ReplyDeleteVan Gogh in Amsterdam, first trip anywhere, after grad school.Though I know I'd seen great art in NY and in Boston, that was the first time it really sunk in. I didn't cry, I felt like I'd been hit on the head. Van Gogh in person is a a different experience than those too familiar posters.It's happened many times since then - Renoir, Monet (and the actual garden)but I think the was the first. The second was same trip - lost in the British Museum I happened on my goal by accident and it was ahock to the system.Elgin Marbles. I'd studied them in class, knew them well, but real life? Wow.Thanks, Deb, for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteVan Gogh is one of my favorite artists. I absolutely love his Irises painting at The Getty in LA. Luckily the first time I saw it the museum was not very busy & there was a bench right in front of the painting. I just sat there & stared at it for the longest time. I went with friends & they'd already moved onto one of the other rooms & eventually had to come back & collect me.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam when I went to the Netherlands for work. I remember seeing Night Watch by Rembrandt. It was thrilling. I am so glad that you shared the Monet Exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. I have had my yearly calendar be Monet's prints of paintings for years. I appreciate you sharing this with us all. I will be in Dallas in 1 1/2 weeks and I am going to go the Kimbell Art Museum.
ReplyDeleteYay, Diane, that is great! I promise it will be worth the trip from Dallas to Fort Worth.
DeleteI loved this exhibit. Seeing Monet’s evolution was amazing. I thought I had seen all the best Monet’s, but this exhibit is wonderful. I have been to Giverny, Musee d’Orsay, Le’Orange and many other art museums around the world, but nothing compared to this exhibit.
ReplyDelete