October 9 - November 13, 2024

1-3 pm

Bower's Museum, Kershaw Auditorium

Lecturer: Annalee Andres

Cost: $195

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The work of Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pierre Bonnard is deeply contingent on their connection to the artistic energy and innovations of Paris, which was the undisputed center of the art world in the late 19th century -  functioning as both the hub of Impressionism and the emerging Symbolist movement.

 

Interestingly, however, it was the departure of these artists from the city that lead to significant shifts in their work, providing new inspirations and opportunities for experimentation. In this series, we will examine how these Post Impressionist Masters became steeped in the rich artistic and literary circles of the modern metropolis of Paris, only to turn away from the city in order to embrace Paradise - a fabulously vibrant, richly colored, and altogether different world. 

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Six lectures will consider each artist and their lives in Paris, and their life in "Paradise".  We will examine some of the most beautiful works produced in the era, in order to understand how, for example, Gauguin transformed from a Parisian stockbroker to an avant-garde artist. How the artist navigated his move to French Polynesia and the artistic effloresce that followed. Similarly, how Van Gogh came to Paris to immerse himself in artistic trends, only to move to Arles where he worked in a creative frenzy producing over 180 paintings in 1888 alone. Finally, how young Bonnard found success in the heart of the Symbolist scene in Paris, only to move to the South of France in 1911 to create work that reflected a new vibrancy and introspection. 

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