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I realized I never posted about the Renoir landscapes exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I went last weekend (Sunday December 9) with my parents.
It was a really good exhibit! I am generally not much of a fan of landscapes, and I never used to be big on the impressionists, but Renoir's landscapes were really pretty intense and amazing. The kind of thing where when you see it in person, the painting is so vivid, the paint so thick you can see the brush strokes, and it looks like the scene is moving, the water flowing and the grasses waving in the breeze. And it looks nothing like that in a book.
It's one of their big exhibits, the kind where you need timed entry tickets to get in, so they also of course had audio tours. There was a regular audio tour and a "family" tour, both of which were available on the handheld audio thing. After the first few overly long and rather dry commentaries on the paintings in the regular audio tour, I switched over to the family tour. The family tour consisted of an actor with an adorable fake French accent pretending to be Renoir as he paints. "Oh-ho-ho! See how I have layered ze paint here! My use of colour creates startling effects! Zees shall be my masterpiece!" Just as educational as the grownup tour, but way more entertaining.
We also walked around the regular museum galleries. I realized that I am a big Monet fan. I really like Monet, a lot! I also realized that I don't think I've been to the Philly art museum since I was maybe 20, when I went with my parents and the Chancellors and Leilani over Easter break.
There's an exhibit currently running on Antonio Mancini. I am absolutely in love with his work. He was a contemporary of Monet and Renoir, same era, but doing some really different and amazing things in Italy. So in love with Mancini. And, again, you can't really get a feel for the fire in his work just from the pictures on the website--he's an in-person artist. When you come into the room, the people in these paintings stare at you with huge expressive intense eyes, and then when you walk up closer to the painting, they blur into smears of color. I did a lot of walking back and forth. Also, Mancini was a little bit crazy, and did a lot of very entertaining self-portraits (like, with a basket on his head). I can identify with that kind of introspective craziness, always examining yourself and who you are as an artist and as a person. So fascinating.
My parents bought museum memberships for the three of us--they figured that if we all go to the Renoir exhibit and the upcoming Frida Kahlo exhibit (!), the memberships will basically pay for themselves. So now I can go to the museum for free whenever I want. I had the thought that F and I could go over Christmas, but then I had decided against it, because we really just want to have a low-key holiday without all the touristy running around we often do. But now that I've been to the museum, I am really tempted to go down there with F one afternoon while he's here. Partly just so I can visit the Mancinis again before they go away when the exhibit ends in January. And also so I can share the Mancinis with F.
Summary: art = great!
It was a really good exhibit! I am generally not much of a fan of landscapes, and I never used to be big on the impressionists, but Renoir's landscapes were really pretty intense and amazing. The kind of thing where when you see it in person, the painting is so vivid, the paint so thick you can see the brush strokes, and it looks like the scene is moving, the water flowing and the grasses waving in the breeze. And it looks nothing like that in a book.
It's one of their big exhibits, the kind where you need timed entry tickets to get in, so they also of course had audio tours. There was a regular audio tour and a "family" tour, both of which were available on the handheld audio thing. After the first few overly long and rather dry commentaries on the paintings in the regular audio tour, I switched over to the family tour. The family tour consisted of an actor with an adorable fake French accent pretending to be Renoir as he paints. "Oh-ho-ho! See how I have layered ze paint here! My use of colour creates startling effects! Zees shall be my masterpiece!" Just as educational as the grownup tour, but way more entertaining.
We also walked around the regular museum galleries. I realized that I am a big Monet fan. I really like Monet, a lot! I also realized that I don't think I've been to the Philly art museum since I was maybe 20, when I went with my parents and the Chancellors and Leilani over Easter break.
There's an exhibit currently running on Antonio Mancini. I am absolutely in love with his work. He was a contemporary of Monet and Renoir, same era, but doing some really different and amazing things in Italy. So in love with Mancini. And, again, you can't really get a feel for the fire in his work just from the pictures on the website--he's an in-person artist. When you come into the room, the people in these paintings stare at you with huge expressive intense eyes, and then when you walk up closer to the painting, they blur into smears of color. I did a lot of walking back and forth. Also, Mancini was a little bit crazy, and did a lot of very entertaining self-portraits (like, with a basket on his head). I can identify with that kind of introspective craziness, always examining yourself and who you are as an artist and as a person. So fascinating.
My parents bought museum memberships for the three of us--they figured that if we all go to the Renoir exhibit and the upcoming Frida Kahlo exhibit (!), the memberships will basically pay for themselves. So now I can go to the museum for free whenever I want. I had the thought that F and I could go over Christmas, but then I had decided against it, because we really just want to have a low-key holiday without all the touristy running around we often do. But now that I've been to the museum, I am really tempted to go down there with F one afternoon while he's here. Partly just so I can visit the Mancinis again before they go away when the exhibit ends in January. And also so I can share the Mancinis with F.
Summary: art = great!
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-17 10:14 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-17 11:30 pm (UTC)From:The Mancini is just one of the regular exhibits, so it's included in admission price, and it's absolutely worth seeing.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-18 03:46 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-17 10:29 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-17 11:30 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-18 12:07 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 11:29 pm (UTC)From: