Impressionism on Film

Scene from The Impressionists (2006) BBC Miniseries (click photo for larger image)The Impressionists (2006) is a “three hour mini-series [produced by the BBC] that tells the intimate history of a most illustrious brotherhood of Impressionist artists—Claude Monet (1840-1926), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), and Édouard Manet (1832-1883).

Entirely based on documentary evidence, special effects transport the viewer inside some of the world's best-loved paintings—and lives.” Many of the artworks seen in the film were re-created using the same techniques the artists employed at the time. Julian Glover (playing an 80-year old Claude Monet) acts as the narrator of a journey through the Impressionist years—one characterized by enormous highs, lows, struggles, losses, and triumphs. A series of this type cannot include all of the details and artists of an age, and many important painters of the movement have, sadly, been excluded. Such omissions tend to fog up some of the “truths” about the history of Impressionism, its origins, and fail to accurately assign credit where credit is due, in terms of where certain achievements of Impressionism should be placed. In addition, from a filmic perspective, the program tends to be a bit “on the nose”—most likely in the interest of satisfying the goals of a docudrama. While it’s far from perfect, however, The Impressionists is still very much worth a watch. Most of what is seen is true—and the viewer will definitely have a better understanding of Impressionism and some of its major figures, after having seen it. All of the portrayals are excellent—and the “story” — though not exactly riveting — is thoroughly entertaining and flows well. It’s certainly meaty enough to encourage further investigation into this significant movement in the history of art.

Claude Monet - Camille (The Woman in a Green Dress) - 1866 - Oil on canvas - 231 × 151 cm (90.9 × 59.4 in) - Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, Germany (click photo for larger image)I lead a film program for the Scarsdale Adult School. We view films about art and artists—each followed by a presentation designed to separate the facts from the fictions. These sessions include lively discussions that are engaging and thought provoking. Our class takes place in the lovely screening room at the Scarsdale Public Library. The Impressionists will be leading our Fall 2016 series, and will cover two sessions (given the length of the mini-series). Tuesdays, October 11th and 18th, will be our dates. I will also be offering a three-part art history class on Impressionism: The Fleeting Aspects of Color and Light for the Center for Continuing Educationon Thursdays—November 3rd, 10th and 17th. Finally, I’ll be leading a tour of Impressionist works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (for CCE) on Thursday, December 8th, as well.

Please check out the above websites for my Fall 2016 program offerings. I hope to see you there!