The Impression of Fort Worth

Art Daily: Kimbell Opens The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago"

Some of the most celebrated and iconic works of the great Impressionist painters are on view at the Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth). The loan of about 90 paintings from Chicago’s world-renowned Impressionist collection is possible because of an ambitious reinstallation and expansion project at the Art Institute (...) Impressionist collection has never before left Chicago in such a large group, and it is being shown exclusively at the Kimbell.

The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago is a feast for the eyes more sumptuous than even the great Barnes Collection exhibition, seen at the Kimbell in 1994. It features masterpieces of painting by the world’s most beloved artists, including Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec—a succession of geniuses who, through a miracle of history, worked largely in the same country and within the span of a single lifetime. (...) >>>


- Caption: Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) - "Rainy Day" (1877) -

Let There Be Light ...

Ayn Rand gives the following definition of art: "Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value judgments."

"To acquire the full persuasive, irresistable power of reality, man's metaphysical abstractions have to confront him in the form of concretes, i.e. in the form of art."(double click any word for an explanation.)

More insights are given in this article from the The Atlas Society at the Objectivist Center by William Thomas, "What does Objectivism Consider to be Art (Aesthetics)." Well, it isn't blots on the landscape! More in "Why Man Needs Art" by William Thomas and David Kelley.

Art Daily: "Palazzo Strozzi To Open "Painting Light: The hidden techniques of the Impressionists"

An exhibition of major works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters reveals the secrets behind some of the world’s best-loved paintings. Painting Light: The hidden techniques of the Impressionists will be staged at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence from 11 July to 28 September 2008. The exhibition comprises over sixty works including masterpieces by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Caillebotte and Signac which will be shown alongside such evocative objects as one of Monet’s palettes as well as technological images of the pictures themselves. This juxtaposition of art and extensive research produces a fascinating insight that will take visitors by surprise. (...) >>>

Palazzo Strozzi: "Painting Light - Hidden techniques of the Impressionists"

How did the Impressionists paint? (...) The Impressionists were not only pioneers in style, they were first and foremost innovators in technique. This interactive exhibition (...) explores such as aspects as how the artists conveyed the quality of light at different times of the day and which conditions inspired them the most, what materials and work methods they used (...) >>>

The Art Daily article is illustrated by a work showing a surprising technique by Gustave Caillebotte (1848-94), "Laundry Drying on the Bank of the Seine" (c. 1892). Secretly I've been waiting for an opportunity to show this remarkable Caillebotte, "Les Raboteurs de Parquet" from 1875. It might well have been titled 'an ode to workers of the world.' Have a look at that light!