Exhibition Gallery: Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism

It seems as if every time I hear the word "Impressionism" my mind's eye immediately begins composing an out-of-doors scene, so I was eager to get a glimpse of the Brooklyn Museum's new exhibition Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism (on view from February 3 through May 13, 2007 and traveling thereafter). How, I wondered, would they treat this rather broad subject matter? Quite nicely, as things turn out: the exhibition traces the development of en plein aire (at the scene or, literally, "full arena") painting from its inception in mid-nineteenth-century France, through the heyday of French Impressionism to its migration to U.S. shores via the minds and palettes of American painters returning home from abroad.

More nicely still, the paintings are all drawn from the Museum's own, formidable collection of of French Barbizon and Impressionist landscapes. Did you know that the Brooklyn Museum began actively acquiring these works early on, before they became as highly prized - and wildly expensive - as they were destined to become in future decades? (I hadn't known this myself, but it served to reinforce my vague Midwestern belief that every person in the five boroughs that comprise the City of New York was, is and will forever be brilliant.) Enjoy the image gallery selections, and please be sure to thank the nice people at the Brooklyn Museum next time you're visiting there.

Image credit:

Frederick Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935)
Poppies on the Isles of Shoals, 1890
Oil on canvas
18 x 21 15/16 in.
Gift of Mary Pratt Barringer and Richardson Pratt, Jr.
In memory of Richardson and Laura Pratt
© Brooklyn Museum