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Dear
Friends,
Until now, I have offered a panorama that spans nearly three
centuries of the great
European art, yet skips some of the most famed artists and
schools so as to feature less known - but in no way less
beautiful - master works. My idea has been to offer a preliminary selection that while
could be favored by most of the people on account of its being
from two of the most popular trends in art history, the Baroque and the Romantic, would at the
same time exclude paintings perhaps too known and therefore less
interesting to the general public. That is one reason why I have
not presented any works from the Renaissance; the other being
that this great period was too religion-oriented as to be part
of an introductory selection. However, in the main body of this exhibition
such exclusion will be amply compensated.
The masterpiece
shown this time, "The Railroad," belongs to the realist
period of Edouard Manet, who actually is regarded the most
important master of Impressionism. I selected it for its great,
colorful beauty and its evocative quality.
On the next few subsequent releases pertaining to this panoramic
introduction I will present some master works by great artists
from the Eastern world and, hopefully, one or two Modern Art
masterpieces before going into the main part of this art
exhibition.
I am very happy with the feedback received so far. Your posting
at this forum is much appreciated.
Thank you,
Luis Miguel Goitizolo
GREAT MASTERS OF
PAINTING
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Le Chemin de Fer ("The Railroad") (1)
by
Edouard Manet
born January 23, 1832, Paris, France
died April 30, 1883, Paris
Profile
(2)
in full Vincent Willem van Gogh Dutch painter,
generally considered the greatest after Rembrandt, and one of
the greatest of the
Post-Impressionists. The striking colour, emphatic brushwork,
and contoured forms of his work powerfully influenced the
current of
Expressionism in modern art. Van Gogh's art became
astoundingly popular after his death, especially in the late
20th century, when his work sold for record-breaking sums at
auctions around the world and was featured in blockbuster
touring exhibitions. In part because of his extensive, published
letters, van Gogh has also been mythologized in the popular
imagination as the quintessential tortured artist.
Manet's debut as a painter met with a critical resistance that
did not abate until near the end of his career. Although the
success of his memorial exhibition and the eventual critical
acceptance of the Impressionists—with whom he was loosely
affiliated—raised his profile by the end of the 19th century, it
was not until the 20th century that his reputation was secured
by art historians and critics. Manet's disregard for traditional
modeling and perspective made a critical break with academic
painting's historical emphasis on illusionism. This flaunting of
tradition and the official art establishment paved the way for
the revolutionary work of the Impressionists and
Post-Impressionists. Manet also influenced the path of much
19th- and 20th-century art through his choice of subject matter.
His focus on modern, urban subjects—which he presented in a
straightforward, almost detached manner—distinguished him still
more from the standards of the Salon, which generally favoured
narrative and avoided the gritty realities of everyday life.
Manet's daring, unflinching approach to his painting and to the
art world assured both him and his work a pivotal place in the
history of modern art.
Technical data
(3)
Le Chemin de
Fer
("The
Railroad")
1873
Oil on canvas
36 1/2
x 44 7/8
inches (93 x 114 cm)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA
Gift of Horace Havenmeyer in memory of his mother, Louisine W.
Havenmeyer
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