The Impressionists on Paper
to
Winnipeg Art Gallery | Qaumajuq 300 Memorial Blvd, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1V1
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "The Vineyards at Cagnes," 1908
This summer see outstanding watercolours, pastels, drawings, and engravings by key impressionist artists, including Cassat, Cézanne, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many others. Who were these influential artists? The impressionists discovered that they could capture the momentary effects of sunlight by working quickly in the open air (en plein air) rather than inside a studio. Brushwork became rapid and broken, changing the art world forever. Not only did they work outside, but they were also outsiders in society. Some writers criticized the impressionists for exhibiting paintings that looked unfinished or that featured unconventional subjects, and many were rejected by Paris’s annual state-run Salon.
Drawing from the National Gallery of Canada’s (NGC) eminent collection of Impressionist art, The Impressionists on Paper brings to Winnipeg over 20 artworks: watercolours, pastels, drawings, and prints. The show spans three decades, beginning in the 1870s, the decade of the first Impressionist exhibitions in Paris. See landscapes, portraits, and everyday scenes by these revolutionary artists, offering a glimpse into one of the most exhilarating moments in the history of art.
The Impressionists on Paper is presented alongside French Moderns, a second exhibition on view this summer at the WAG.
Curated by Dr. Stephen Borys with the generous collaboration of the National Gallery of Canada