The Douanier Rousseau

Fig.1 Henri Rousseau, dit Le Douanier Rousseau (1844-1910) La charmeuse de serpents, 1907 Huile sur toile, 167 x 189,5 cm Paris, musée d’Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

An exhibition examining the painter Henri Rousseau, who flourished from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, is underway at Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The exhibition interprets Rousseau through the theme of “archaism” and also presents the works of the avant-garde Montmartre painters like Picasso, who revered and recognized early on the talent of the elderly painter, as well as the followers of naïve art who carried out his legacy. By displaying these pieces together, one can probe the influence of Rousseau on modern art.

New Expressions

Henri Rousseau was called “the douanier” because he worked at the Paris tax office while he taught himself painting. His lack of formal training gave rise to an unrefined style that was regarded as a new form of expression and greatly influenced the avant-garde painters in Paris.

The New World of the Modern Era

While illustrating in a simple manner, Rousseau’s works incorporated new phenomena of the times. For example, in Portrait of Pierre Loti he painted factory chimneys spewing smoke in the background. In Myself, Portrait-Landscape, he depicted the elated atmosphere of the Paris Expo through ships flying expo flags and a hot air balloon. The exotic atmosphere he portrayed in his masterpieces such as La charmeuse de serpents (Fig. 1) and The Dream is an unprecedented landscape born out of the spread of colonialism. The young painters may have been drawn to these new representations of the new world.

The Douanier Rousseau Through July 17 (Closed Mondays)

Musée d'Orsay

1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
75007 Paris, France
+33 1 40 49 48 14
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/

Opening times:

9:30-18:00 （Closed Mondays、Thursdays until 9:45 pm)

Paul Klee: Irony at Work

Fig.1 PAUL KLEE, Insula dulcamara, 1938, oil and colour glue paint on paper on hessian canvas, 88 x 176 cm, Zentrum Paul Klee, Berne

The largest retrospective since 1969 of Paul Klee is underway at the Centre Pompidou in France. Featuring some 250 important works, the exhibit casts a new light on the art and character of Klee through the theme of irony (fig 1).

Fig.2 PAUL KLEE, Der Held mit dem Flügel, 
Le Héros à l’aile, 1905, Etching, 25,7 x 16 cm,
Zentrum Paul Klee, Berne

The Concept of Irony

After studying at the art academy in Munich, Klee traveled to Italy. Viewing the perfected beauty of classical Greek art and the Renaissance, Klee concluded that if he pursued classical idealism, he would only be mimicking the past. Klee searched for his own, new means of expression and came upon the concept of “irony,” promoted by the philosopher of early German Romanticism, Friedrich Schlegel. Klee perceived irony as a new means for him to simultaneously express high ideals and criticism. “I served beauty by drawing her enemies (caricature, satire),” he wrote in his journal.

Can Man Fly?

The Hero with the Wing (fig. 2) depicts a sturdy man growing just one wing from his shoulder. Perhaps from numerous failed attempts to fly, his body is covered with wounds. Klee created this work two years after the Wright brothers succeeded in the world’s first manned flight. Klee was skeptical about people flying and expressed his sarcasm in this piece.

Behind the Poetic Works

The narrative power and poetic sentiment of Klee’s colors have always been cited as having a major role in the appeal of his paintings. But another layer of depth can be felt in his works by examining them from the viewpoint of irony.

Paul Klee: Irony at Work until August 1 (Museum is closed on Tuesdays).

Centre Pompidou

19 Rue Beaubourg
75004 Paris
France
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/en

Opening times:

11:00-23:00　 Closed on Tuesday

Easy Virtue. Prostitution in French Art, 1850-1910

Fig.2 Bed, after 1860, painted, gilt and carved wood, Ville de Neuilly-sur-Seine. Photo: Jan-Kees Steenman

At the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam a provocative exhibition on Parisian culture from the late 19th to 20th century is underway.

Fig.1 Edgar Degas, Absinthe, 1875–6, oil on canvas,
36 ¼ × 27 in., Paris, Musée d’Orsay

The Women Who Light Up the Parisian Night

The city of Paris underwent a dramatic change following the 19th century industrial revolution that improved the living environment and brought about the construction of the likes of the Paris Opera and the Eiffel Tower. Workers from all over France converged on the city to construct these magnificent buildings. And at night, those men flocked to women in search of pleasure.

At the time, Paris was full of prostitutes. The women ranged from call girls soliciting customers on the streets and in cafes to women working at brothels to high-class courtesans with homes provided by their upper class lovers. Even glamorous cabaret dancers or ballerinas at the Opera in the spotlight could be considered among them, since once their shows were over they effectively were the mistresses of their patron men.

Prostitutes From the View of the Artist

Artists took on the subject of prostitutes as a means of expression of modernité (the modern era and its culture), the term coined by the poet Charles Baudelaire. Edgar Degas painted a woman with a drink of absinthe in a café known for solicitations (fig. 1), and Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Picasso, Kees van Dongen and Frantisek Kupka all portrayed gaudily dressed women flirting with men in steamy cabarets.

Viewers are taken from the streets of Paris where men got their first glimpse of a woman or the cafes and dance halls where women sought customers, to the closed off world of brothels and other places of illicit affairs. In addition to artwork, the exhibition reveals the practical elements the women’s lives not depicted in the paintings such as a display of the bed of a high-class madam (fig. 2), small objects used by prostitutes and books to register and manage their labor.


Easy Virtue. Prostitution in French Art, 1850-1910 Until June 19

Van Gogh Museum

Museumplein 6
1071 DJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Opening times:

Until July 14       9:00-18:00 （Fridays until 22:00）
July 14 to Sept 4  9:00-19:00 （Fridays until 22:00 Saturdays until 21:00）
Sept 5 to Nov 6    9:00-18:00 （Fridays until 22:00）
Other dates          9:00-17:00 （Fridays until 22:00)

Major Retrospective: Jheronimus Bosch - Visions of genius

fig.1 Jheronimus Bosch, The Hay Wain, 1510-16, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado.With the special collaboration of The Museo Nacional del Prado.Photo: Rik Klein Gotink and Robert G. Erdmann for the Bosch Research and Conservation Project.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the death of the artist of the bizarre and fantastic, Hieronymus Bosch. In this commemorative year, his hometown of Den Bosch (officially called ’s-Hertogenbosch) in the Netherlands, is currently showing “Jheronimus Bosch - Visions of genius.” This largest Bosch exhibit in history will show 20 paintings, including his prized triptychs, and 19 drawings, as well as works by artist followers of Bosch.

fig.2 Hieronymus Bosch, The Temptation of Saint
Anthony (fragment), c. 1500–10, Oil on oak panel,
38.6 × 25.1 cm. Kansas City, Missouri,
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, purchase William
Rockhill Nelson Trust. Photo Rik Klein Gotink and
image processing Robert G. Erdmann for the Bosch
Research and Conservation Project.

Two Worlds: Reality and Fantasy

Hieronymus Bosch lived in two worlds: the world of reality that surrounded him and the world of fantasy that existed in his mind. The world of reality was created and regulated by the Christian God. There, no matter how evil, fear or violent, everything was the will of God. After meticulously observing the world of reality created by God, Bosch constructed a unique world filled with fantastical creatures such as demons and monsters made by freely synthesizing birds and fish, humans and artificial objects. In his masterpiece triptych The Hay Wain (fig.1), comical demons attempt to transport hay from the central panel into the hell depicted to the right.

Newly Discovered Works by Bosch

Coinciding with the exhibit, a worldwide research project on Bosch was conducted which led to the discovery of evidence definitively attributing several works to the artist himself. Among them was The Temptation of St. Anthony (fig.2) found in the United States. Bosch had worked frequently with the theme of the temptation of St. Anthony’s faith by demons. The research concluded this small painting was part of a triptych

“Jheronimus Bosch - Visions of genius” Until May 8 (open daily)

Het Noordbrabants Museum

Verwersstraat 41
5211HT ’s-Hertogenbosch
The Netherlands
http://boschexpo.hetnoordbrabantsmuseum.nl/en

Opening hours:

During the exhibition 9 am to 8 pm every day and from 24th March 2016, 9 am to 11 pm every day

Breitner: Girl in Kimono

Girl in a White Kimono, 1894, George Hendrik Breitner. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

In museums around the Netherlands, paintings of a charming young girl in a kimono are on view. They are the works of Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner. In the exhibition Breitner: Girl in Kimono the Rijksmuseum of the Netherlands will display all of the 13 works by Breitner of the girl in a kimono.

The Influence of Japonism

Breitner painted his girl in a kimono series around 1894. This was the period when Japonism was in full bloom, and European artists like Monet and Van Gogh were heavily influenced by Japanese art. Breitner, who was a friend of Van Gogh, also avoided becoming completely steeped in the traditions of Western art. He developed a strong interest in the flat lines and clear contrasts in Japanese prints and became a collector himself.

Girl in Kimono: Geese Kwak

fig. G.H. Breitner, Geesje Kwak in rode kimono, 1893-1895.
Daglichtgelatinezilverdruk, originele afdruk. RKD,
Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis, Den Haag

The girl in kimono is Geese Kwak who worked in a hat shop and was a frequent model of Breitner from the age of 16 to 18. Most of these works were painted in the same room. Behind the bed covered with an Oriental rug stands a folding screen that limits the sense of depth and thus heightens the sense of intimacy. Geese lies on the bed dressed in a red or white kimono dotted with small floral print. Her head rests on a cushion, her arms sometimes raised behind her head, and she languidly stares into space.

Photos

The Netherlands Institute for Art History houses some 2,300 photographs taken by Breitner. He would digest what he saw through the lens and depict that onto his canvass. A comparison of the photos (fig) he took for Girl in Kimono with the final paintings offers a chance to trace that path of creation.

Breitner: Girl in Kimono February 20 to May 22

Rijksmuseum

Museumstraat 1
1071 CJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en

Opening times:

Open daily 9:00-17:00

Karel Appel Retrospective

Karel Appel, Vlammend Kind met Hoepel, 1961,olieverf op doek,
320 x 230 cm. Collectie Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris,
France© Karel Appel Foundation, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam, 2015

The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in the Netherlands is commemorating the tenth anniversary of the death of Karel Appel in his homeland with a major exhibition of his work. Appel was one of the founders in 1948 of the avant-garde art movement Cobra, and his expressionist style is regarded as a pivotal and highly influential force in post war art. The retrospective brings together 67 paintings, 12 sculptures and more than 60 drawings, including those from when he was a member of Cobra.

A Battle Against the Canvas

In Jan Vrijman’s documentary film “The Reality of Karel Appel,” the painter appears like a martial artist baring his fighting spirit. Approaching a canvas larger than his height, Appel throws clumps of paint with such force that it shakes the cloth, thrashes colors with his brush and howls as he pours paint directly from its tube onto the canvas. Appel created bold paintings by having the colors themselves express emotion. Once he established his style, Appel maintained it during his more than 60-year-long career, allowing it to evolve endlessly in his experimental works.

Meticulous Preparation for Production

Appel’s style is expressionist and was characterized by a violent hurling of a moment of passion against the canvas, but in actuality he prepared meticulously before embarking on each work. He made detailed studies of the designs of the works of artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso and Mondrian and then drew many sketches to work out his design and carefully selected paints and tools.

After 1950

After moving to Paris in 1950, Appel received one international award after another. He continued thereafter to work vigorously, moving among his four ateliers in New York, Connecticut, Monaco and Tuscany. Appel died in 2006 in his then home in Zurich.

Karel Appel Retrospective: January 16 ― May 16, 2016 (Closed Mondays)

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Stadhouderslaan 41
2517 HV Den Haag
The Netherlands
http://www.gemeentemuseum.nl/en

Opening times:

Tuesday to Sunday:　11:00-17:00
Closed on Mondays

From Bosch to Bruegel – Uncovering Everyday Life

The exhibition From Bosch to Bruegel – Uncovering Everyday Life is currently underway at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The exhibition displays a survey of works from the pioneer of genre painting Hieronymus Bosch to the peasant painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Sixteenth century Europe was an era in which the authority of the Catholic Church was losing ground, and new views of the relationship between God and man based on humanism and religious reformation were being introduced. At the time, people were also being liberated from the restrictions of the Bible by movements such as Calvinism. The genre painters depicted that era and its people with striking acerbity: peasants, mercenaries, beggars and loose women, people gorging on food, seeped in liquor, sex-obsessed and lazy, and henpecked husbands. The urbanite purchasers of these works mocked in particular the peasants as “ignorant fools.”

Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s The Peasant and the Birdnester (fig.1) portrays a man about to fall out of a tree he has climbed to steal a bird’s nest, and a peasant pointing to the man and laughing at him. The peasant is laughing at the blunder of another, but he himself doesn’t realize he is one step away from falling into a river. At first glance the piece appears to be portraying the stupidity of a peasant, but it is said that when Bruegel created this piece, he had in mind the satirical In Praise of Folly by Erasmus that parodies philosophers as simple-minded people who don’t notice the dangers ahead of them.

The genre painters often depicted tax collectors, bankers and lawyers dressed up in outmoded fancy clothes, appearing far removed from everyday life. As greedy, money-obsessed people, they were the objects of derision.


Bosch to Bruegel – Uncovering Everyday Life Until January 17, 2016 (Closed Mondays)

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Museumpark 18-20
3015 CX Rotterdam
the Netherlands
31 20 570 5200
http://www.boijmans.nl/en/

Opening times:
Tue-Sun 　11:00-17:00
5, 24, 31 Dec　11:00-16:00

Closed :
on Mondays (except Easter Monday and Whitmonday), 1 January, 27 April (Kingsday; in 2014 on 26 April) and 25 December. The museum closes at 4 pm on Saint Nicholas' night December 5th, Christmas Eve December 24th and New Year's Eve December 31st.