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| Claude Monet, “Impression, Sunrise” (1872) |
At the museum today, the major special exhibition was "Paris 1874 Inventer l'impressionnisme." As always at this museum it was overwhelming from beginning (an overview of the very low contemporary reputation of the group of artists eventually known as impressionists) to end (a summary, with many of the original paintings of the later exhibits by this increasingly well-regarded group). While the term “impressionism” was invented after the 1874 exhibit, it plays a huge role in understanding the art and artists, as especially illustrated by Monet’s iconic painting.
The original 1874 exhibit by the upcoming impressionists was a rebellion against the official “Salon” where the then-conventional artists displayed a professional jury-selected collection of a large number of art works. In contrast to these works, the novelty and huge imagination of the rebel group was very well highlighted by the organizers of today’s exposition. An entire room displayed a number of works that were shown in the Salon of 1874. These now mainly look so dated that it’s almost comic, though at the time the artists took themselves extremely seriously.
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The permanent collections of the museum are also fabulous,
as is the building itself — a repurposed rail station — with an incredible clock.
The clock is now the dramatic feature of a dining room (we did not eat there). |
The Orsay permanent collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works includes a large number of very famous paintings by Monet, Berthe Morisot, Van Gogh, Renoir, Gustave Caillebotte, and others. I’ve seen them many times in the past and never tire of them. A few in-museum photots:
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| In the main hall the vast arched roof is an echo of the original rail station. |
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| From a window: a view of roofs and the distant Eiffel Tower. |
