Paul Durand-Ruel and Impressionism (first review)

Should commercial transactions be the basis of a major art presentation? Should Academy Awards be given to the financial backers of films ahead of the writers, directors, and stars? In the case of the Art Museum’s current Impressionism show, which centers on the role of dealer Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922), the concept works because the paintings are the center of attention while their salesman serves as a hook for tying together all the canvases.

So don’t attend this show because you crave information about the business side of art; rather, enjoy the spectacular display of Impressionist paintings. And while you are there, you might also be intrigued by the story of how one dealer promoted the genre. His tactics are revealed in his ledger books and correspondence.

Parisian gallery-owner Paul Durand-Ruel was the leading advocate of Impressionistic art at a time when the establishment derided it. Durand-Ruel bought and sold 11,590 paintings, mounted exhibitions of that art throughout Europe and America, and published etchings and black-and-white photographs to spread their fame.

This is the most dazzling show of Impressionist art I’ve ever seen; it’s also the most varied. We see some of the first works of Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Degas, and Renoir juxtaposed against their later paintings, allowing us to see the development of their craft. We see earlier paintings by Corot and Rousseau that point the way toward Impressionism. And we see a good cross section of work by lesser-known artists, providing context.

Reuniting Monet’s Poplars

Two segments of the show are especially powerful. Six of Monet’s Poplars are lined up in one room. In the autumn of 1891, Monet painted a row of poplar trees on the bank of the Epte near his house at Giverny; the trees were sold for timber shortly thereafter. The canvases share a strong vertical presence of the tree trunks, while the colors are subtly different. They were first exhibited at the Galerie Durand-Ruel in Paris in February 1892, then scattered to museums in Paris, London, Tokyo, and Philadelphia, all of which contributed to this exhibit. (You can see the paintings shown in series here.)

Then there’s an 1883 trio of Renoir works portraying social dancing. Three impressive six-feet-tall paintings show couples dancing in differing settings: Dance in the Country, Dance in the City, and Dance at Bougival. The ambience is romantic and the colors are vivid, not as soft-toned as what’s thought of as typical Renoir.

Two other works are interesting for their local connections. Monet’s Under the Pines, Evening was sold by Durand-Ruel to Philadelphian Otto Haas, the cofounder of the Rohm & Haas chemical company. His granddaughter, Carole Haas Gravagno, donated the painting to the Art Museum. Sunlight is reflected from the ground and bounces up into the lower branches of trees, illuminating them in gold and orange while the upper parts of the pines are in shades of green.

Monet’s Green Park, London shows restful grasses under a darkening sky — one of his rare paintings done away from his native France. Fellow Impressionist Mary Cassatt admired the painting and recommended it to her brother Alexander, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He bought it for his home in Philadelphia.

The business of art

It’s boggling to read how the dealer influenced the work of his protégés. Durand-Ruel wrote critically to Camille Pissarro in 1894: “This is not what I expected of you. . .and the harmonies do not seem as accurate as usual.” He also suggested subjects for new paintings, thus shaping the direction of the Impressionists’ work.

Monet’s paintings are so ethereal that it’s a shock to read his bluntly practical comments about money in his letters to Durand-Ruel, who commissioned Monet to create decorative panels for his nine-bedroom family home.

These works were painted at a time when critics and academicians were writing reviews similar to this by the art critic of Le Figaro: “Five or six lunatics, of whom one is a woman [Cassatt], have chosen to exhibit their works. People burst into laughter in front of these objects. Personally, I am saddened by them.” They couldn’t see beauty in the transitory moods of nature suggested with broken or flecked brushstrokes.

For Tom Goodman's review, click here.

Above right: Renoir’s Dance at Bougival.