EY exhibition – Impressionists in London

I often forget that if a show is going to be popular, and anything with the word Impressionists in the title, at Tate Britain is going to be popular, then going to see it on a Saturday morning is a rubbish idea.  I was brutally reminded of this fact when I went to see this on a cold wet Saturday morning in November.

It was very crowded, the first room especially and so seething was the crowd it was almost impossible to look at the paintings.  This I realise is first world problems writ large and I could, if I was feeling more fortright, simply elbowed my way to a good view.  There is no doubt though, that the quieter times are better.  I wonder if Tate Britain will follow Tate Modern and do late night showings.  That would be nice. This show is open until 7th May. 

Fortunately after the first room the crowd dissipated and you could see,  and there were verily some things worth seeing.

Firstly though this show is not just Impressionists but French artists in London generally.  The impressionists are the best thing in the show though.  There were many Tissot paintings.  I am never sure if Tissot is an impressionist or not, his colour palette has much of the same themes but his paintings are far more formal and posed than most impressionist works.  One of my favourite paintings of his, which I had seen before at the Guildhall museum, Too Early, was there.  There were some other fine ones to including a portrait of the Empress Eugenie . 

There were Monet’s abounding, including quite an interesting one of  blurry, coloured view of Picadilly Circus, it looks like its raining (above left).  This is one of those Monet paintings where the subject matter doesn’t really matter it is the whirling coloured effect that is important, at least to me, and you can lose yourself in it trying to determine some patterns.

There is also a whole room of different paintings of the Palace of Westminster (see first picture of the blog) and Charing Cross bridge subjected to different light effects.  So you get the distinctive pastelley, ghostly blue with this dark shape looming out of it, but more impressive are the darker ones with burning yellows and oranges coruscating across the water.  Having them all in one space is both effective, while at the same time after a while you are like, meh, another Monet of Westminster.  Spoils you, you see.  Some are certainly more accomplished and effective than others.  Gave me some firm ideas of the power of a series.
​
There was also Whistler, who you don’t see much.  I don’t really like Whistler, it is all dark dank murky Blues and I find it difficult to get anything from them.  

There was also Whistler, who you don’t see much.  I don’t really like Whistler, it is all dark dank murky Blues and I find it difficult to get anything from them. 

For me though there were two stars of the show.  The first was Pissarro.  Pissarro it would seem spent some time in Kew and there were many fine paintings of the surrounding area including one of the gardens itself, the Rhododendrons in fact, which hits you in the eyes from across the room but is in fact quite delicate and subtle,  the flowers against the green and the path leading off around the corner. 

A couple of others I liked was one of Charing cross bridge with this great wedge like boat, full of people cutting through the water (above left). The water effect, with not just blues, but different reds and purples is particularly engaging.  Almost all the painting is sky.  It is interesting to me how a picture with so much space, with so little of the actual subject matter in it can work so well.

The next was a square a Kew,  a square thronged with people,  all quite quickly drawn which gives them a nice animated feel.  

The other star, and this was a new discovery for me, was Andre Derain.  Derain does the thing of heightening the reality, in other words making things super colourful with vivid red, blue, yellows etc. None of the pastelly shade for him.  They are very eye- catching and I think very good.  I liked them very much.  He has this nice technique of representing say a boat in a block of one colour and then cutting across the field of that colour with simple figures all made of a different colour, say red. An age old technique but done well.

There is then much to like about this show.  Who knows you might even like the non-Impressionist stuff (there was a good statue of a woman breast feeding a baby but I forget who it was by).  It is on until 7th May 2018 and I suggest you go, just not on a Saturday.

Finally some self promotion.  The law society art group annual show in in January.  Details below.