It was during the 1890s that Monet fully developed the concept of a series or group of works with either the same subject or theme. After finishing the famous Rouen Cathedral series in which the façade was painted under an array of weather and light conditions, Monet traveled a bit and then embarked on his Mornings on the Seine series in 1896. Here we see the Seine near Port-Villez (a short distance away from Monet's village of Giverny) replete with the pale blues, roses and purples seen in mist rising off water under an early morning sun.
About the exhibition:
Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism traces the development of plein air (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.
The exhibition has been culled from the Brooklyn Museum's own collection of French Barbizon and Impressionist landscapes, which was actively being built by Museum trustees, patrons and donors in the early twentieth century - at a time when this genre had not yet become quite so highly collectible. Some 40 paintings by French and American artists ranging from Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) to John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and Childe Hassam (1859-1935) are included.
After its Brooklyn Museum presentation, the exhibition is scheduled to travel to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida for a Summer, 2007 viewing. This will be followed by stops at other United States venues to be announced.
"Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism" is on view from February 3 through May 13, 2007 at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052. (Telephone: (718) 638-5000, TTY (718) 399-8440; Website). The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Hours are extended from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM for Target First Saturdays, held on the first Saturday of each month. Suggested admission is $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors and students with valid I.D. Members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted for free. Limited paid parking is available on-site in the patrolled lot at the rear of the Museum off Washington Avenue.