Wednesday, January 15, 2003
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Wednesday, January 15, 2003 |
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See Paris through the eyes of the Impressionists By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Paris is known as the City of Lights, and those fascinated by the city can see how artists saw it as it became the city it is by visiting the High Museum in Atlanta. "Paris in the Age of Impressionism: Masterworks from the Musee D'Orsay" is on display at the High Museum through March 16. In the late 19th Century, Paris was filed with an explosion of new ideas in every aspect of life. There were technical and cultural advancements being made, and Paris was the center of the art world. Visitors to the exhibit can see some works by Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Rodin, Degas, Lautrec and more. The exhibition is divided into seven themes: Art Nouveau, the Dark Side, the Eiffel Tower, Grand Theaters, High Society, New Directions and View of the City. The Art Nouveau section of the exhibit showcases a style of decoration and architecture from the 1880s and 1890s. Artists that worked within Art Nouveau were considered outcasts at the time but the style is still used quite a bit today. The Dark Side portion of the exhibit illustrates that not everyone in Paris at the time was benefitting from all of the improvements. There was crime, prostitution and poverty and some artists chose to portray this side of society. The Eiffel Tower is to Paris what the Statue of Liberty is to New York City. It was completed in 1889 and is a symbol celebrating the achievements of industry as well as the arts. This part of the exhibit includes photographs and illustrations that chronicled the 22 months of construction of the structure. The Grand Theatres section also has architectural renderings of Charles Garnier's Opera, one of the most extravagant theatres in the world. The High Society section is filled with portraits and images that capture the history of the new wealth of Paris during the middle 1800s. New Directions is the largest part of the exhibit and showcases the work of masters such as Cezanne, Seurat and Gaugin as they broke away from the style of Impressionism and layed the foundation for modernism. Views of the City illustrates to the viewer the changes that the city underwent structurally, creating many of the elements that people know in Paris today. In addition to paintings by Monet and Pissaro, there are photographs from that era as well. "Paris in the Age of Impressionism" gives visitors a chance to see works that belong to the second largest museum in Paris, the Musee D'Orsay. Visitors will also get a chance to see what some of the most famous artists in the history of the world saw as Paris became the city it is today. The High Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and admission is $13 for adults on weekdays and $15 on weekends. Admission for students is $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends. Admission for children ages 6-17 is $8 and children under the age of six will be admitted for free. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Phone 404-733-5000 or visit www.ParisinAtlanta.com or www.high.org. "Paris in the Age of Impressionism: Masterworks from the Musee D'Orsay" |
