inventing impressionism @ the national gallery

20 May 2015

This is a very "quick turnaround" post as I only visited this exhibition on Sunday, but since it ends at the end of the month, I desperately wanted to share it with you as I think it is one of the best ones I've been to.

That is, of course, a very subjective statement, because we all have different tastes when it comes to art of any nature. But my favourite period in visual art has always been the Impressionist movement, and if I had to choose just one artist to cover my walls with (one can dream), it would be Claude Monet.

So I went to the Inventing Impressionism exhibition, hoping that my expectations would be met - and they were. 

Over 80 paintings are on display that tell the story of the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who was a true believer of the Impressionist movement and supported the artists who are some of the most renowned names today. I have always admired individuals who put their faith and passion into artists (whether they are visual, musical, theatrical, etc.) who were not so easily and well received in their time, and morally and financially helped them towards recognition. Durand-Ruel was exactly this kind of man, and all the paintings on display had passed through his hands at one point or another. 

I don't want to talk for too long about it, as you'll learn so much more about all of this if you go! Which I really hope you do, because there are some iconic masterpieces in that exhibition which are not to be missed. The National Gallery exhibitions always offer fantastic audio guides too, which we always take advantage of and enjoy - I'd highly recommend it.

It happened to be a beautiful day on Sunday, so I had the best afternoon having lunch with E (at Kanada-Ya, still the best ramen in London!) and strolling around in the sunshine. London is a real beauty when the sky is blue, isn't it?

I've added a few of my favourite picks from the exhibition at the end (there was a very subpar collection of postcards) - Poplars by Monet, Dancing Couple by Renoir and Pont Boieldieu by Pissaro.



















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