Impressionists in Normandy at the Museo degli Innocenti
It has been 150
years since 31 artists rejected by the academic art world, including Monet, Degas, Renoire, Cezanne, Pisarro,
Delacroix, Courbet and many others, gathered in Paris in 1874 in an
exhibition that marked the birth of the Impressionist movement.
The Museo degli Innocenti celebrates
this anniversary with a dedicated exhibition displaying more than 70 works that
tell the story of the Impressionist
movement and its connection with Normandy.
This land had in
fact become a very popular destination among painters because there were
beautiful beaches and landscapes, it was very close to Paris and the cost of
living was moderate.
Among the works in the exhibition “Impressionists
in Normandy” we find works like Cliffs
at Dieppe (1834) by Delacroix, The
Beach at Trouville (1865) by Courbet, Fécamp
(1881) by Monet and Sunset, View of
Guernsey (1893) by Renoir which portray the Norman coast as a place of
great beauty where it was possible to spend quiet days immersed in nature,
spectacular and dark at the same time.
This was the time of painting en plein
air, of landscapes represented focusing on the changing of the light during
the day, of quick and short brush strokes that made the canvas vibrate.
In 1841, John Rand had invented the tube that allowed colors to be preserved
for a long time and transported easily and travel easels had entered the
market, both indispensable tools for impressionist artists, who wanted to capture
the beauty of nature live.
Special guest of this exhibition full of masterpieces, the famous “Pink Water
Lilies” by Monet (ca 1897-1899). Absolutely not to be missed.