As I said earlier, Orsay is the go to place to see the Impressionists, so let’s dive in. The one rather well represented is Monet, and above is an interesting one of the lady with the parasol… and below, a lunch scene outside.
Monet’s numerous paintings of the front of Rouen Cathedral in various lights, are certainly some of his most famous ones. As are the ones he painted at Giverny such as this one of the bridge over the pond.
But the collection of Van Gogh paintings is extraordinary and includes some obscure ones as well as familiar ones, for example…
This is not Van Gogh, but rather his portrait of Dr. Gauchet, who looks completely depressed or uninterested.
This one was called la Siesta
Van Gogh did not like the city, and preferred painting scenes more in the country or in small villages. The picture above is Mrs. Gachet in her garden, and the one below it a painting of a country house. Notice what wavy lines Van Gogh used to give a sense of motion.
While there are many more Van Goghs in Orsay, I wish there had been more Sisley’s or Pissarro’s two of my favorite Impressionists, for example,
This is Sisley’s rendering of Le Pont de Moret. And here are two excellent illustrations of Pissarro’s pointilist technique.
The first is called a woman in green, the second a woman attending to the laundry. Below is his painting as described in the following sign…
Impressionists in general were wanting to paint ordinary scenes, not historical figures or events, but occasionally there was a tribute painting…. for example
The Impressionists caused quite a stir, and in the salons in Paris, there were many who didn’t like their style and would come and protest, and make sure their paintings did not sell. Here is such a scene, but notice some are calmly bidding of some of the paintings.
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