National Gallery Singapore’s Colours of Impressionism Showcases Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay
PUBLISHED November 16th, 2017 06:00 am
Think of the Impressionism art movement and who is the first figure to come to mind? Claude Monet? Pierre-Auguste Renoir? Sure, they’re all masters, but here comes along an opportunity to discover more. This November, the National Gallery Singapore will launch its latest showcase Century of Light, which explores the transformation and upheavals of art in the 19th century.
Comprising two complementary exhibitions, the first is Between Worlds: Raden Saleh and Juan Luna, which takes a regional perspective on this tumultuous period through the eyes of two Southeast Asian artists who lived and worked in Europe. The other is themed Colours of Impressionism, and as you might expect, will feature a collection of Impressionism masterpieces by the foremost innovators of the art movement.
The exhibition, which launches on 16 November, is curated in collaboration with the renowned Musée d’Orsay in Paris – one of the world’s leading modern art museums, making it the first such showcase of this scale Southeast Asia. Led by Marine Kisiel and Paul Perrin from the Musée d’Orsay, the exhibition features a collection of over 60 stunning works by the aforementioned Monet and Renoir, as well as Paul Cézanne, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley and several other legendary painters.
In the words of Dr Eugene Tan, Director of National Gallery Singapore said, “Impressionism is one of the most influential movements in the history of art, fascinating artists and art audiences around the world and across centuries.” And as a nod to the Impressionists’ radical approach to painting light and using colour, the works in the exhibition are presented in thematic sections based on colour.
Start with the blacks commonly used by painters in the 1850s and 1860s to capture the reality of their time, then proceed on to the white and blue tones used to represent snowscapes and their shadows. Lush greens are utilised to explore the rich French landscape, and later on in the movement, soft pinks and purples to create new harmonies, balance, and more subjective realities. Colours of Impressionism also addresses the eventual shift to Neo-Impressionism.
Visitors can get up close with an exceptional collection of 10 paintings by Monet, including one of the Musée d’Orsay’s five versions of the Cathédrale de Rouen (Rouen Cathedral), La Pie (The Magpie), and Le Bassin aux nymphéas, harmonie rose (Water Lily Pond, Pink Harmony) – featuring one of the painter’s favourite subjects: his waterlily pond with a Japanese-style bridge.
Beyond that, look out for Renoir’s Gabrielle à la rose (Gabrielle with a Rose), a novel take on the great European tradition of the female nude, for that time; and Le berceau (The Cradle), arguably the most important work by Impressionism’s first lady, Berthe Morisot.
Century of Light is running from 16 November 2017 to 11 March 2018 at the National Gallery Singapore. Entry to the exhibition is $15 for Singaporeans and PRs, and $25 for non-Singaporeans.
