Making an Impression in Columbia

When most people hear the word “Impressionists” they think of luminescent landscapes. The Turner to Cézanne exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art (showing until June 7) certainly includes that, but some of the best pieces are by precursors of the Impressionist school.

Turner: The Storm

The signature piece in this exhibit is The Storm by JMW Turner, the British artist famous for his dreamy seascapes. This small painting in a gorgeous gold frame, however, is much more than that. It’s a powerhouse of intensity and mystery. Turner depicted a moment of devastation and desolation at sea, but he composed the scene with great serenity. You ‘hear’ the crashing waves, the creaking hull, and the mast that has snapped. Yet, amidst the turmoil there is a quietude that carries you beyond terrifying tragedy to a sense of awe about the power lurking behind Nature. Turner does more than paint water and light. He leads you into the unknown.

Corot: Dancing Tyrolean Shepherds by Lake Albano

Camille Corot was a French artist known for painting feathery pastoral and riverside scenes. His pieces are typically full of misty green, soft beige, just a spot or two of red for contrast, and small figures set against a romantic rural background. The thing about Corot is you never know quite what he is trying to say. He keeps you curious as he gradually steers you through, and lures you into, his compositions. You feel like you should be able to just step into his ideal world—into his version of the sublime.

Daumier: The Watering Place

Honoré Daumier was a French draftsman skilled in multiple mediums and is best known for his political caricatures and satires. What is fascinating about his paintings is that although people were his main interest, he paints them almost without facial features. All the emphasis—all the power of significance—is in their postures and gestures. Remarkably, Daumier conveys the deepest human thought and feeling through placement and movement alone. One of the best examples is this scene of a horse and rider reacting to a dog barking. The more you look at it, the more you understand something about the basic nature of all three creatures. Notice Daumier’s mastery of composition: everything is in exactly the right place and at precisely the right angle to produce the tension he wanted to convey.

These three images—none of which do justice to the originals—are just a few highlights. The rest of the exhibit is exquisite (yes, hurry to Columbia before June 7). Only one word of caution: resist the temptation to use the cell phone tour. It is poorly done, with inconsistent voices and sometimes silly comments intended more for school children. Even if you buy the audio tour in the museum, go back through the exhibit on your own and just look, look, look. Thinking is overrated, especially in art galleries. ¶

Columbia Museum of Art
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