dementia praecox

Dreams and Reality. To me, dreaming is the mixture of ideas and emotions; sub-consciously what we yearn for or what we feel deeply about. People say “日有所思，夜有所梦”, that your daily musings reflects in your dreams. Whether it be a more fantastical depiction of our thoughts or just whimsical non-sense, this depends on who the dreamer is and how he / she interprets it.

Sometimes, we think about things so much, that it came true. That is the power of mind.

What is our artist's 憧憬? Did they make it into reality? By viewing this exhibition, we might have an insight of how the featured artists feel about 'current affairs'. After all, isn't that what impressionism is all about? Instead of depicting heroic acts or scenes from biblical mythical stories, the "Impressionist" then chooses to record nature, emotions and ideas. Old vs New. Then vs Now. Of course we have to be thankful; because without these 'records', we might never have known how life is back then, or how some places looked like previously, if it is no longer there. It is much like how netizens are now, twittering about their lives or posting their pictures on facebook. Ah, the similarities of keeping moments treasured alive...

But what really is impressionism? For the conservatives then, impressionism was considered amateurish mostly due to the subject that was painted and the style of painting. The method in which the 'Impressionist' use; usually working directly on the canvas instead of mixing their colours on palettes and using light rapid brush strokes (to prevent colour from drying before it could be mixed?) to capture the living / scenery might seem rushed to others, but we have to note that they are capturing live and usually doing it out-doors adds to the difficulty of not having the subject 'stop' for them.

Also, many think of impressionism as scandalous. We can see that from Manet's 'Le déjeuner sur l'herbe' (The Luncheon on the Grass) and 'Olympia', how human forms were depicted in personal life instead of as mythically (the many forms of Venus by various artists).

Imagine my excitement when I saw the wall ad in Doby Gaut MRT a few days back. Fast forward back and here I was, in front of the National Museum of Singapore sketch pad / notebook equipped. I have to resist the urge to do the "clutch of victory" at its door when I see the crowd. Or the lack of it~ :D

This exhibition, titled "Dreams & Reality: Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing & Photography of the Musee d’Orsay, Paris", would garnered much attention from the general public, I expect. I should just be thankful that Musee d’Orsay is having renovation back at its galleries or there would not have been this opportunity to view all these great works of art. Everyone who has the opportunity to visit should do so, because this epic giant that it is almost took up the entire lower floor (and then some) of the grounds in NMS. Apparently, a total of 140 pieces were brought over to be on display (even the original frames were brought over) and there are some events (films, lectures, interactive tours, performance arts and sketching~) going hand in hand with it.

For a moment, I was lost. So armed with the brochure, I thread on, following the curator's set-up as guidance. The exhibition, sectioned into "Allegory and History", "Man and Contemporary Life" and "Man and Nature and Solitude" prove to be very informative and well organised. I could go on about the introductory to each sections on the walls ("History and War" or "Leisure" for example) and the play with lights and mannequins or the quotations about colours and such. What really pleased me was the brief description below every piece. Like tidbits; easy to digest and tastily descriptive. There's even audio explanations provided (if you decide to rent a headset.)

Arranged by their years, it is not hard to follow the growth of the artists and the styles that they develop as they strive to find personal / individual expression. The over-all setting makes this exhibition interesting to go through because of the different moods in the different sections.

Of course, there will be a few motion-stoppers. It is hard not to stop for the likes of the many depictions of Venus, Van Gogh's 'Starry Night Over the Rhone', Degas' 'Dancers Climbing a Staircase', 'The Card Players', and Monet's landscapes... the list goes on. However, my attention was in getting to that one painting. It might seem strange but in a certain way I think it fits that the painting that drawn me most is a nude. Le garçon au chat or more easily named, 'Young Boy with a Cat'. Yes, that's the painting featured on the wall ad at the Dhoby Ghaut MRT.

I did a bit of research on Pierre Auguste Renoir and his works before coming to the exhibition and saw interesting similarities to (for example) his 'The Theatre Box' (1874) and Eva Gonzales' 'A Box at the Italian Theatre' (1875-1878) and enjoyed his sweetly colourful 'The Railway Bridge at Chatou' or adeptly named 'The Pink Chestnut Trees' (1881) However, this RENOIR is very different. It was painted before he broke up with the Impressionist Movement in the mid-1880s and for someone who love his art 'likeable, joyous and pretty -- yes, pretty!' It is hard to see why he chooses to paint the boy in such cold colours and realist light. Even the brush strokes seem to be harsher than his other works during that period. The colours remind me a bit of Manet's 'The Luncheon on the Grass' and I am immediately struck with the conspiracy theory of Pierre Auguste Renoir doing this painting for something other than it being fun. What could he be trying to prove with this work?

Other than the light colours for the table setting, the cat and the boy (the main characters of the painting) seems too real. The painted seem nonchalant at being watched and drawn (I am assuming as this IS after all a work during the Impressionist Movement) as he cuddle against the rather fat cat as he turn back to face his 'audience'(?) I could almost see that shadow of a smirk forming on his lips.

I think I stood there for an hour just looking at it, trying to figure out what the boy is thinking. (Or it could just be the yaoi poisoning my brain, making this seems more than it should O_O)

Well that aside, I've gained much from this experience and if there is a chance for me to attend such an event again, I would. I don't know much about fine art but this exhibition really showcase some of the most impressive works that it is an exhibition not to be missed.

Labels: Being Geek-ish