THE INTERNATIONALISM OF IMPRESSIONISM: Friends of Canadians Abroad

THE INTERNATIONALISM OF IMPRESSIONISM: Friends of Canadians Abroad

Between the 1870s and the onset of the First World War most of Europe enjoyed a period marked with a relatively positive aura and peacefulness. This allowed people to focus their efforts on culture, art, literature, science, and technology compared to during the wartimes that flanked either end of this period. The Franco-Prussian War ended in 1871 and World War I broke out in 1914. At the end of the 19th century there was an explosion of interest in restaurants, theatres, cabarets, ballets and art. There were some who thought pessimistically about the extra-frivolity of society at this time, however the two great wars that ravished across Europe afterwards made the lifestyle of the Belle Époque seem enviable. The phrase the joy of living, often expressed in its original French as Joie de Vivre, has since been associated with this interwar period. Despite France’s loss in the Franco-Prussian War, its end was welcomed. A new middle and upper class, the bourgeoisie, began to enjoy life to its fullest. Paris was the epicentre of Belle Époque culture.

Pierre Bonnard The Large Garden 1895(Musee d'Orsay) and Edouard Vuillard Repast in the Garden 1898 (National Gallery, Washington DC)

Artists gravitated to the creative and joyful atmosphere of Paris. They also visited equally enjoyable surrounding areas of retreat, such as coastal towns in Normandy and Brittany, Barbizon, or closer haunts like Giverny, the Bois de Boulogne and the Forest at Fontainebleau. The Parisian atmosphere drew artists from all around the world to study at the origin of cutting edge art movements. This period in time spans movements and ideologies from the earliest en plein air artists of the Barbizon School, through impressionism, to many branches of post-impressionism. Thus, not only was the French atmosphere appealing to foreigners, they looked to the talented exceptional paintings being created by these new French schools. Artists from across the Commonwealth, Europe, Asia and America flocked to enjoy and learn in Paris and attend art schools. Some made only temporary visits to go to school, such as Emily Carr; others became expats of their countries, such as Canadian’s Blair Bruce and J.W. Morrice. Others returned for art-related visits and sketching trips over and over, such as Suzor-Cote, Clarence Gagnon, and Maurice Cullen.

We have discussed the migration of Canadians to Europe in earlier blogs, especially to Paris in this period. So I will not go into more detail about their art again. However there seems an endless amount of topics to discuss from this fruitful period in the history of Canadian or European art history. In the last blog I talked about the International art community coming together in International biennials and fairs. Artists come together at various shows to interact, mingle, share artistic ideas, and make global friendships. Looking back to Belle Époque Paris, I felt that the way the worldwide art community gathers at fairs today to forge friendships correlates to the way in which artists from around the World gathered in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. This led me to ponder not about Canadians specifically, but who taught them, mentored them, befriended them, and made travel companions with them when they were in France.

The International peers of Canadians in France are occasionally mentioned in passing in the literature, but I thought it might be interesting to gather imagery from many of the friend’s from other countries and look at their art together. What sort of art did their teachers do? What were friends painting side-by-side with our country’s cherished artists?

The first wave of Canadians to travel to Paris included William Brymner, Robert Harris, Paul Peel, and William Blair Bruce. The latter two never returned to Canada, and both married Scandinavians. Brymner and Harris would both return home and go on to teach subsequent talents in Montreal and Toronto. They were advocates of further Parisian training for their gifted students. They all trained at the Academie Julian, where many foreign students were trained under great French artists, such as William Bouguereau. Bouguereau was an artist with unbelievable technicality and ability in capturing expressions in the moment.

William Bouguereau Au Pied de la Falaise (Memphis Brooks Museum) and Les Noisettes (Detroit Institute of Arts)

Blair Bruce joined a primarily American group of artists abroad that socialized together. Bruce first befriended Theodore Robinson and together they visited Barbizon. Along with these American expats he rented a barn at Giverny in the summer of 1887. Some of these friends included John Leslie Breck, Willard Metcalf, Henry Fitch Taylor, Theodore Wendel, and Louis Ritter. They were at Giverny whilst Claude Monet was there, and somewhat naturally they gravitated to his new style of painting.

John Leslie Breck Field of Poppies 1889

Toulouse-Lautrec At the Moulin Rouge 1895

J.W. Morrice moved to Paris to study at the Academie Julian a few years after the first wave of Canadians discussed above. He blended into the art scene with ease. His art was highly regarded and he seemed to be accepted as ‘the real deal.’ He was mingling in Montmartre with the historical character Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and got involved in the antagonist salons that were emerging to combat the stale and stagnant ways of the traditional academic salons. Morrice was involved in the first 1903 Salon d’ Automne, the Salon Nationale, and the related Societe Nationale. He engaged in these organizations with his very good Australian friend Charles Conder, and then-established French artists of the time: Jacques Emile Blanche, Charles Cottet, Lucien Simon, and Gaston La Touche.

Charles Conder Hayfield, France 1894

Jacques Emile Blanche Tamara Karsavina for thr cover of Jugend Magazine

Three works by Charles Cottet Douarnenez dimanche matin 1905 (Gallery Hermain), Evening light at the Port of Camaret 1892 and Lamentation des femmes de Camaret au tour de la Chapelle brulee de Rocamadour

Gaston La Touche Pardon in Brittany 1896 (Art Institute of Chicago) and Maiden in Contemplation 1898

Beyond this, Morrice had expat companions who travelled around Europe with him. Morrice loved Venice, which is evident through his exceptional art of the time. However, it is also clear that his travel buddies loved it too; especially his American friend Maurice Prendergast. Prendergast produced some exquisite works while in Venice alongside Morrice. Morrice also went again with an American illustrator, Joseph Pennell.

Three Venetian watercolours (1898-99) by Maurice Prendergast in the MFA Boston and the Addison Gallery of American Art, Massachusetts

Joseph Pennell Towers of St. Martin, Tours circa 1899(Metropolitan Museum)

He also spent time with American artists Robert Henri and Everett Shinn. His closest friends were the Irish artist, Roderick O’Connor, and the Australian, Charles Conder. To my delight, I learned that the Norwegian painter Fritz Thaulow was a sketching buddy of Morrice too. Thaulow and Morrice were both founding members of the Champs de Mars Salon. Thaulow had a studio in Dieppe as well. Morrice also went to Dieppe with the famous English artist Walter Sickert. Other English acquaintances of Morrice were Sir Gerald Kelly and W. Lee Hankey.

A Robert Henri sketch

Charles Conder Coogee Bay 1888 and Roderick O'Connor Farm at Lezaven 1894

Two French riverscapes and The Grand Canal Venice 1885 by Norwegian Fritz Thaulow

Sir Gerald Kelly Beach at Etretat 1908 (Tate Gallery)

W. Lee Hankey Morlaix, Brittany 1936 (sold at auction 2016)

So much of the blog is devoted to Morrice’s friends because his life abroad is so well documented in G. Blair Laing’s biographical book about Morrice. But I will finish with a British Columbian favourite, Emily Carr. According to biographer Doris Shadbolt, when Carr went to Europe in 1910-1911 she went to see what all the fuss was about regarding the newly emerging abstract art but fell in love with post-impressionism. She ended her trip in Brittany, first at St. Efflam and then in Concarneau. Two important people influenced her art at this time and were dear friends of hers. She stayed with her British mentor Henry Phelan Gibb in St. Efflam first. She then spent six weeks in Concarneau with the New Zealand artist Frances Hodgkins.

Henry Phelan Gibb Landscape 1907 (Towner Art Gallery)

Frances Hodgkins At the Window (1912)

There are so many more artists from Canada that travelled to Paris, and other parts of Europe (such as London and Antwerp for art school) that the blog could be a multi-biographical novel. For those who are interested in looking a bit more at the internationalism of impressionism, a great start is the monumental publication World Impressionism: The International Movement 1860-1920.

I hope you enjoy looking at the paintings of Canadian companions and spotting the stylistic similarities and differences between them.

BY: JILL TURNER

FINE ART, FAIRS, AND FESTIVALS: RIOPELLE IN EXHIBITIONS

FINE ART, FAIRS, AND FESTIVALS: RIOPELLE IN EXHIBITIONS

Communication technology has helped internationalize contemporary art, allowing for talented artists from far reaches around the world to exchange dialogues, trends and commerce in a truly global way. This has made a worldly community of art professionals, lovers, and collectors, with accessibility at the tip of the finger through all of our smart devices. There are online databases, apps, blogs, twitter, instagram, dedicated websites and other new developments all the time. This has cinched the art scene closer together whilst it has simultaneously ballooned in popularity. However the thriving global contemporary art scene doesn’t function solely in the virtual realm. The world of art takes on a very physical presence in the form of art fairs and biennial-type exhibitions. The art fairs cover the commercial aspect of the art, where as a biennial is more of a festival that focuses on the art itself.

Art biennials are large-scale bi-annual curated exhibitions that have become huge prestigious events for rising stars and superstars of the contemporary art world. They are often written in the Italian form as biennale. Not all of these exhibitions are bi-annual; they could be annual, triennial, quadrennial, quinquennial and so forth. Lately I have seen these large collaborative festivals colloquially referred to as –ennials; but biennials seem most common. The numerous fairs and –ennials take place on a worldwide circuit reminiscent of grand prix sports tours. Like grand prix events, some –ennials are better regarded and certain well-established ones are the high points of the ‘tour de monde.’ The Venice Biennial might be considered the Olympics of –ennials. With ever increasing internationalism and status associated with these festivals that celebrate the contemporary art scene, there have been more and more of them established from the 1980s onwards. Oxford Art Online has termed this increase The Biennial Phenomenon.

The Central Pavilion for the Venice Biennale

The interior and exterior of the Pavilhao Ciccillo Matarazzo, venue of the Sao Paulo Biennale

The 1990s in particular saw a rise in the number of art biennials. In Canada, La Biennnale de Montreal was founded in 1998 for multidisciplinary arts and a Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale was founded in 2002. An online art market hub called Artnet has even posted an article overviewing the 20 most worthwhile –ennials to visit. Many professionals, artists, and collectors might attend certain –ennials alongside art fairs, like Art Basel or Art Miami. Although the circuit of shows has exploded through the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century, many of the most prestigious biennials have roots much earlier. The Biennial Phenomenon was kindled in the first few decades after World War II. Two longstanding biennials are the Venice Biennial and the Sao Paulo Biennial. They were energetic events in the 1950s, akin to the Salon exhibitions in Paris in the 19th century.

Artist Wan Shugang bronzes for the Vancouver Biennale, now public art at English Bay, Vancouver

Canadian talent was represented in the Paris Salons and Canadians were also at the forefront in mid-20th century biennials, especially Jean-Paul Riopelle. The Venice Biennial was established in 1895 but was a revitalized in the 1950s. Sao Paulo was established in 1951 and is still a favourite biennial.

Jean-Paul Riopelle Mid-Century 1949-50 was exhibited in the 1962 Venice Biennale

Jean-Paul Riopelle is arguably Canada’s most well recognized pioneer of lyrical abstract painting. His unique style won him international favour. In 1951 he exhibited in the premiere Sao Paulo biennial, and again in 1955. Jean-Paul Riopelle participated in the 1954 Venice Biennial alongside other Canadians B.C. Binning, and fellow Automatiste and former mentor Paul-Emile Borduas. Incidentally, Emily Carr and David Milne exhibited at the prior Venice Biennial of 1952. It is interesting to consider the diversity of styles that overlapped in contemporary Canadian art around mid-century.

Paul-Emile Borduas Figure aux oiseaux 1954 was exhibited at the 1954 Venice Biennale

B.C. Binning Theme Painting 1954

David Milne Waterlilies and the Sunday Paper 1929 was exhibited in the 1954 Venice Biennale (black and white reproduction)

Emily Carr Old Time Coast Forest 1929 Emily Carr Trust, Vancouver Art Gallery

Since 1958 there has been a specific pavilion devoted to Canadian artists at the Venice Biennials. In 1962 Riopelle was selected to represent Canada, and a sizeable amount of his paintings were displayed. He was awarded an esteemed UNESCO prize for recognition of his work that year.

Jean-Paul Riopelle En Serre 1951 was exhibited in the 1962 Venice Biennale

Jean-Paul Riopelle Gravite 1956 was exhibited in the 1962 Venice Biennale

Jean-Paul Riopelle Hommage aux nympheas- Pavane 1954 was exhibited in the 1962 Venice Biennale

Riopelle and the other Canadians representing the country at these important biennials showed their work alongside familiar artists who adorn the pages of all western art history textbooks. Some examples include Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud, and Ben Nicholson from the United Kingdom. Also exhibiting these years in Venice were Willem de Kooning and Paul Klee. Records for the older Sao Paulo biennials were not readily available to me, but likely other artists of importance in 20th century art history were presenting their work there too.

Works by Lucien Freud in the 1954 Venice Biennale

Work by Francis Bacon in the 1954 Venice Biennale

Willem de Kooning took part in the 1954 Venice Biennale

Masters Gallery Vancouver Jean-Paul Riopelle Exhibition and Sale April 23-May, 2016

Riopelle’s paintings delighted visitors alongside the great contemporary artists of his time, and here at Masters Gallery we are as delighted to exhibit Riopelle’s work 62 years after he first participated in the Venice Biennial. I hope that the Canadian art stars of our time will be revered for their contributions on the worldwide circuit of fairs and –ennials just as Riopelle has been.

BY: JILL TURNER

THE ART OF SHOPPING: CORNER STORES AND MARKETPLACES

THE ART OF SHOPPING: CORNER STORES AND MARKETPLACES

Lawren Harris "The Corner Store" 1912 (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa),

Helen McNicoll "Marketplace" 1910 (Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa)

Aesthetics aside, a primary reason that I am so interested in historical art is that it often can give us glimpses of a different or changing way of life. With fine and applied art both the object itself and/or the content that the object projects can be telling of its time. This can be observed in the style and material of the period an object was made or by what the object is depicting that is contemporary to the time. The subject matter is endless but examples might be a ceremony, gleaners in a field, or fishermen in boats that are representative of their era. Even historical art of historical subjects can give clues about the time it was painted, such as a 16th century Tuscan religious scene in which all of the figures are outfitted in Italian Renaissance garb.

This blog will look at the content of some beautiful representational Canadian art from about 100 years ago to have a glance at a changing way of life here in North America. The way in which we shop has changed dramatically, and what was commonplace 100 years ago is starting to become ‘a thing of the past.’ The title of this blog includes Corner Stores and Marketplaces and it is these establishments (corner stores, markets and shops with specialty vendors, and small family and independent businesses) that were normal at the turn of the 20th century. As the way we shop slowly changes, bygone ways are preserved for us through the beautiful art of past epochs.

James W. Morrice "Market Place, St. Malo" c. 1898 (National Gallery of Canada)

In the 2nd half of the 20th century North Americans became accustomed to shopping for their needs and desires in large shopping malls and supermarkets. Added to this are the massive scale chain retailers that offer an all-in-one-stop-shop (that are admittedly convenient in the rain or snow). Furthermore, in the 21st century we are getting further estranged from shopping at little specialty stores because we shop from home on the Internet and items get delivered to us. Even grocery shopping can be done online. Some types of stores have even gone extinct because of the Internet, such as the video store industry. Not all small shops and markets are extinct though; their decline has been slow and even has seen attempted renewal as a romantic nostalgia. I remember the excitement around walking to the corner store to spend a childhood allowance on 1 and 5 cent candies. Many cities still have markets, such as Granville Island in Vancouver or St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. Here in Vancouver there is a small resurgence of restored local corner stores in some communities and pop-up farmer’s markets that are reminiscent of city square markets. In Europe the markets are still more prominent, and shopping for everything at separate specialty vendors and purveyors is still more normal than in North America.

Sybil Andrews "Market Day, edition 5 of 100" 1936" (Sold at Masters Gallery)

Lawren Harris "The Italian Store, In the Ward" c. 1922 (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)

Canadian artists have used the community corner store or local markets as a subject for their art often, especially 100 years ago when they were a regular aspect of towns and cities. I have sifted through illustrated literature and selected some especially beautiful works. I tried to include some Canadian artists who I think are exceptional but aren't as widely appreciated as the Group of Seven members. This also gives an opportunity to remember that Canadian artists were actively pursuing subjects beyond landscapes in the early 20th century. Please enjoy having a look at shopping in the early 20th century, and reminisce about the times of the separate butcher, baker or candlestick maker!

Hal Ross Perrigard "The Important Corner" 1930 (sold at auction, 2009)

Hal Ross Perrigard "The Lobster Shack, Rockport, Massachusetts" 1929 (sold at auction)

John Y. Johnstone "Cornerstore" 1919 (private collection, exhibited "Beaver Hall Group, Montreal Museum of Fine Art, 2016")

John Y. Johnstone "Bonsecours Market, Montreal" 1916 (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)

Clarence Gagnon "Moonlight Street" etching 1908

Kathleen Morris "Market, Ottawa" c. 1927 (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)

Peleg Franklin Brownell "Market, Ottawa" c. 1912 (sold at Masters Gallery)

Harry Britton "Market Day, Quebec" 1907 (sold at Masters Gallery)

Andre Bieler "The Market Stall" 1946 (sold at Masters Gallery)

Lawren Harris "The Corner Store" c. 1915 (illustrated in Duval, Where the Universe Sings, plate 106)