Toulouse-Lautrec Sans Absinthe
Now, I actually went to this almost a week ago at the Art Institute and I really should have blogged about it sooner I guess. Anyhow, I always think I’m not into French art. I mean…French impressionism just never sits well with me and Monet really grates on me. And even though Chagall is my favorite artist and he is technically French, I always just consider him Russian. I’ve always liked Matisse quite a bit, though, and Van Gogh (yes, I know Van Gogh is technically Dutch but he spent a great deal of time in France, is buried in France, and spoke his dying words in French.) Do you want to know what Van Gogh’s dying words were as reported by Theo (if you didn’t know already)? Brace yourself: “La tristesse durera toujours” which means “The sadness will last forever.” I can barely type that without weeping.
Anyhow, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the exhibition as much as I did. It was still very crowded (we went last Sat. afternoon so perhaps that was more of a peak time), which made it more difficult to appreciate each piece and have a view that wasn’t partially obscured. The exhibition was very comprehensive and I learned a bit about Toulouse-for example, I hadn’t known about his physical impediment or that he had died so young. The special exhibition really gave a taste of what Montmartre was like and showed a variety of artists and their paintings during the time as well-some of the bigger names being Degas, Van Gogh and Picasso. It covered Toulouse’s poster period to the women he fell in love with from afar, his circus paintings, and his paintings on the inside of maisons closes or houses of prostitution, which were not shown publically in his own lifetime. Especially poignant to me was one entitled “In Bed, The Kiss” which can be seen here
It also really captured the spirit of the bohemian lifestyle from the cafés-concerts to the shadow theatre at Chat Noir. There were concise but somewhat informative descriptions for quite a few paintings and typical happenings at that time in Montmartre. In the description of cafés-concerts, it delved into how these were more informal for the time and involved people sometimes drinking and talking while music was playing. Cinchel said, “Oh kind of like the Empty Bottle.”
I kept thinking throughout the entire exhibit how I would love to live in Montmartre but simultaneously wondering if Montmartre still truly existed as this place of almost what I might describe cultural awakening. The exhibit ended with a small description of how the area grew so popular that many tourists came and it became too costly for the artists and so they were somewhat pushed out and moved on to different areas. I said, “Oh kind of like Wicker Park.”
You couldn’t take photographs inside the exhibition but here are some reproduced posters advertising it inside, replacing Chagall’s beautiful blue windows (thank goodness I have pictures of those because they won’t up for quite some time as the Art Institute is undergoing expansion.)
(now playing: Benjamin Biolay: Rose Kennedy)