Saturday, October 2, 2010

19th and 20th Century Art at the MET

MET has a huge selection of European paintings from the 19th and 20th century, many of them are iconic and it was beyond believe that so many treasures are under the same roof.

The tour of this section started with Ingres and his workshop's Odalisque in Grisaille, which I didn't remember having seen, though the version with full color was trice familiar.  It was very fascinating to see how Ingres employed the technique traced back from Renaissance Old Masters.

Odalisque in Grisaille, c. 1824-34, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Workshop _8409
Odalisque in Grisaille, c. 1824-34, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Workshop

But Ingres' Opus were almost belong to the previous century and his classical world were soon superseded by those more earthy and in-your-face type of depictions of life, like The Spanish Singer by Manet and The Third-Class Carriage by Honoré Daumier. Yet, they were not manifested from thin air; rather, they carried on the traditions of Goya and Rembrandt, et al.

The Spanish Singer , 1860, Édouard Manet 
_8405
The Spanish Singer, 1860, Édouard Manet

The Third-Class Carriage, ca. 1862–64, Honoré Daumier  _8413
The Third-Class Carriage, ca. 1862–64, Honoré Daumier

In the same unsettling way, landscape paintings made stride in France.  The best examples are those by Courbet and Corot.  Monet made landscape paintings in this style as well, before he went on to become an "impressionist".  Millet also excelled in country landscape as well.

The Source of the Loue, 1864, Gustave 
Courbet _8404
The Source of the Loue, 1864, Gustave Courbet

The Ferryman 
(left),Ville-d'Avray, c. 1865, A Woman Gathering Faggots at 
Ville-d'Avray (right), c. 1871-74, Camille Corot _8410
The Ferryman (left),Ville-d'Avray, c. 1865, A Woman Gathering Faggots at Ville-d'Avray (right), c. 1871-74, Camille Corot

The Green Wave, after 1865, Claude Monet 
_8398
The Green Wave, after 1865, Claude Monet

Haystacks: Autumn, c. 1874, 
Jean-François Millet _8414
Haystacks: Autumn, c. 1874, Jean-François Millet

But these artists didn't neglect the human world, with the exception of Monet, who showed no interest in depicting people but Manet, Millet, Corot, plus later comers Degas, Cézanne, kept unearthing the truth of human conditions. 

Young Lady in 1866, 1866, Édouard Manet _8406
Young Lady in 1866, 1866, Édouard Manet

A Woman Reading, 1869 and 1870, Camille Corot _8411
A Woman Reading, 1869 and 1870, Camille Corot

The Dance Class, 1874, Edgar Degas _8408
The Dance Class, 1874, Edgar Degas

Boating, 1874, Édouard Manet  _8396
Boating, 1874, Édouard Manet

Cézanne's portraits, over the years, had evolved so much and one could see the advance of cubism in his Madame Cézanne (née Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress dated 1888-90.

The Card Players, 1890-92, Paul Cézanne _8402
The Card Players, 1890-92, Paul Cézanne

Antoine Dominique Sauveur Aubert (born 1817), the Artist's Uncle, 1866, Paul Cézanne _8401
Antoine Dominique Sauveur Aubert (born 1817), the Artist's Uncle, 1866, Paul Cézanne

Madame Cézanne (née Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress, 1888-90, Paul Cézanne _8400
Madame Cézanne (née Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress, 1888-90, Paul Cézanne

I might have missed portrait and figure paintings by Gauguin but his still life was just as energetic and bold.  Bolder still, we entered Van Gogh's world.  I included a few paintings by him - both still life and portrait, not the most familiar ones but still very well known - beautiful, and slightly edgy and unsettling.

Still Life with Teapot and Fruit, 1896, Paul Gauguin _8392
Still Life with Teapot and Fruit, 1896, Paul Gauguin

Roses, 1890, Vincent van Gogh _8389
Roses, 1890, Vincent van Gogh

Sunflowers, 1887, Vincent van Gogh_8388
Sunflowers, 1887, Vincent van Gogh

L'Arlésienne Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (née Marie Julien, 1848–1911), 1888-89, Vincent van Gogh _8387
L'Arlésienne Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (née Marie Julien, 1848–1911), 1888-89, Vincent van Gogh

Next giants were Matisse and Picasso.  This 1906 early Matisse below definitely had obvious contrast to those included in the special exhibit at MOMA - "Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917", but the connections even to his later period can be easily identified.

The Sailor II, 1906, Henri Matisse _8372
The Sailor II, 1906, Henri Matisse

Picasso created La Coiffure in 1906 as well. It was an exciting period for sure.

La Coiffure , 1906, Pablo Picasso _8416
La Coiffure, 1906, Pablo Picasso

It was good to see the damaged The Actor had been repaired and were back in the gallery.  The restorers did such a wonderful job that one could not see the damages at all.

The Actor, 1904-05, Pablo Picasso _8383
The Actor, 1904-05, Pablo Picasso

There were many more wonderful works, all the way down to the end of 20th century.

The Dark Mountain, Number 1, 1909, Marsden Hartley _8382
 The Dark Mountain, Number 1, 1909, Marsden Hartley

Tables for Ladies, 1930, Edward Hopper _8380
Tables for Ladies, 1930, Edward Hopper

Jean Paulhan, 1946, Jean Paulhan _8376
Jean Paulhan, 1946, Jean Paulhan

Venice, Night, from Venetian Views, 1995, Howard Hodgkin _8267
Venice, Night, from Venetian Views, 1995, Howard Hodgkin

The only sculpture I stopped by to study, after many from Greek and Roman section, was a Herakles the Archer, which was dated only as 20th century:

Herakles the Archer, 20th century, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle _8269
Herakles the Archer, 20th century, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle

>> New York City Report, September 2010, Part XIII: Max Beckmann's Paintings in MOMA and MET
<< New York City Report, September 2010, Part XI: 14th - 18th Century Paintings at the MET

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