Before the Impressionists: the Barbizon school and Eugène Boudin

What led to the development of Impressionism?

Who were the mentors of the Impressionists and how were they trained? How did “plein-air” painting become possible, popular and even accepted by the institutions and the critics? What were the conditions that brought forward this first modernist revolution, and the work of painters such as Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, or Cézanne?

Join Associate Professor Bertrand Bourgeois to consider Impressionism in the artistic, historical, and social context of 19th Century Paris. We’ll introduce the Impressionists' teachers and mentors and ask questions about the evolution of painting techniques and style.

Presented by Associate Professor Bertrand Bourgeois

Bertrand Bourgeois is an Associate Professor in French Studies, and the current Convenor of French in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne. He is a specialist of 19th and 20th Century French Literature and Visual Culture. His latest monograph Petits poèmes à voir (Paris: Hermann, 2020) deals with the relationship between French prose poetry and visual arts from 1848 to 1945.

With NGV Senior Curator of International Art Dr Ted Gott

Dr Ted Gott is Senior Curator of International Art at the National Gallery of Victoria. He has curated and co-curated 29 exhibitions; and has published widely on Australian, British and French art.

Schedule

From 5.45pm	Arrive via main waterwall entrance.
6.00pm - 7.00pm	Masterclass presentation (40-minute masterclass \| 20-minute curator conversation).
7.00pm - 7.45pm	Light refreshments served in the Garden Restaurant.
7.45pm - 8.30pm	Exhibition viewing time.

This Masterclass is part of a series presented by the Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative. The University of Melbourne’s Learning Partnership with the NGV provides an opportunity to spend an evening (or three!) in the gallery hosted by Dr Olivia Meehan, art historian and object-based learning specialist from the Faculty of Arts.

Follow this link to view the series and register for other Masterclass sessions:
https://collections.humanitix.com/french-impressionism-a-melbourne-masterclass-series

Image credit:
Claude Monet
Grainstack (snow effect), 1891.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Gift of Miss Aimée and
Miss Rosamond Lamb in memory
of Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Appleton Lamb.
Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
All Rights Reserved.