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Montreal's Magnificent
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October features his preferred model Kathleen Newton who lived with the artist until her death. Tissot altered his lifestyle radically upon falling in love with the divorced Kathleen Newton. Her bearing a child that was not her husband's, precipitating the divorce, isolated her from Victorian society. Tissot chose to spend his time with her, though he would have been relatively free to continue the social whirl he favored as a way to find patrons for his art. Instead he moved Kathleen into his London home along with her two children. Her death in 1882 promoted Tissot to leave England and return to his native France. |
Title: October, 1877
It was widely believed he never recovered from the loss of the love of his life and this event formed the catalyst for the change in his style. His later works reflected religious themes. Tissot visited the Holy Land and clearly was inspired by what he saw.
Tissot's preference to paint female costumes was considered vulgar at the time and heavily criticized. Yet in reflection his works were used to view the changing costumes of the Victorian era. He needed patrons for his art so his isolation following his meeting with Kathleen is significant. Tissot lived with Kathleen in a large house in St. John's Woods, a home that was sold to fellow artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema after Tissot returned to France.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a Dutch painter, enjoyed celebrity and success during his lifetime and was noted for his depictions of nudes or semi-nudes set in works that were the artist's interpretations of historical events. The work above, A Sculpture Gallery in Rome at the Time of Augustus, is an excellent embodiment of his style. In the background is a semi-nude figure and in the foreground are viewers costumed in the then appropriate attire.
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The artist, famed for his inclusion of historical references in his works, as is demonstrated in the two images above, left showing the Janus head in the cane, and right depicting Laocoon, each important mythological figures.
Janus, the Roman God of openings and entry ways often is shown as a two headed figure as in the cane. The two heads are meant to show transition, particularly from the barbarian to civilization. Janus opened a hot spring that erupted and scared off the Romans, including Romulus who had kidnapped the women of the Sabines. His temple doors were traditionally opened during war hoping he would intervene and closed during peace.
Laocoon, a Trojan priest, famously warned the Trojans not to accept the gift of a wooden horse from the Greeks. He took his sword to pierce the side of the Trojan Horse hoping to prove his words by having the sounds of the Greek soldiers inside the wooden horse be heard by all. The Greek Gods silenced him thanks to Poseidon who sent sea serpents to kill him and his two sons. In the detail Laocoon is shown battling the snakes that will in fact defeat him and he will pay with his life, thus permitting the Greek ruse of a Trojan Horse to work. The Vatican Museums, Rome, are the home to the Laocoon Sculpture, circa 1 B.C. that impressed Michelangelo who viewed the sculpture shortly after it was excavated during the rule of Pope Julius II in 1506.
Alma-Tadema went a step too far for the Victorian audience when he painted the completely nude, A Sculptor's Model. The outrage altered his style and he opted to paint semi-nudes from then on.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a member of the Royal Academy for 31 years, was honored with interment at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
William Bouguereau
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Historical study and numerous sketches were employed by Adolphe-William Bouguereau before he would begin his paintings. During his lifetime he produced over 700 works and despite his intense preparations the artist made the time to help those new to the art world as he had been helped when he started his career. Paurure des Champs / Crown of Flowers is typical of the tenderness Bouguereau employed when illustrating children. A young, perhaps poor child collecting flowers and having an older child adorn them in her hair. |
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Canaletto
Title: Interior of San Marco, Venice, circa 1760
Artist: Canaletto (Italian 1697-1768)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 44.1 x 31.5 cm
Bequest of Adaline Van Home
Image Courtesy: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: MBAM/MMFA
Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal, popularly known as Canaletto, began his career following the patriarchal tradition of painting theatre backgrounds and scenery. Eventually, influenced by Giovanni Paolo Panini, Canaletto became known for his views, especially of Venice.
Henri Fantin-Latour
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Still-life flowers were the main subject of French artist Henri Fantin-Latour. Occasionally the artist extended his repertoire to include portraiture often of the artist and his famous friends such as Renoir and Monet in Manet's studio. Fantin-Latour often is credited with having an important influence on the symbolism movement albeit not being a part of it himself. Though like much in art history his influence and membership is open to debate. |
Canadian Art
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has a long tradition of supporting Canadian talent. Through the extensive collection of a diverse range of artists and their works it is possible to trace the history of the country of Canada from early times to modern day.
Title: Cribbage Board
Alaska, Nunivak Island, Inuit Culture
Circa 1880. Materials: Ivory, Graphite, Red Filling
Dimensions: 6.2 x 66 x 8.25 cm
Purchase, Gift of the Joseph-Arthur Simard family, Mr. and Mrs. A. Murray Vaughan, and Mr. and Mrs. Lorne C. Webster
Image Courtesy: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: MBAM/MMFA
The Museum
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des beaux-arts de
Montréal
Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion
Image Courtesy: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: B. Merret
Thanks largely to a bequest of land from Benaiah Gibb in 1879, the first building in Canada to house a dedicated art collection was built two years after the gift was received.
Today the Museum is home to over 30,000 works of art in it's stated mission to acquire and promote Canadian and International artists both past and contemporary. The Museum provides free access to it's permanent collections to allow the greatest number of visitors the ability to view the impressive and historical works. A visit anytime is educational and enlightening but keep in mind upcoming exhibitions.
Upcoming Exhibition: Tanagra: Myth and Archaeology
Title: Large Boeotian Bell-Idol
circa 700 B.C.
Collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris
Tanagra, 'a small world in clay', is comprised of over 180 terracotta
figurines from Ancient Greece.
Image Courtesy: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: © RMN - H. Lewandowski
Tanagra: Myth and Archeology:
February 5 - May 9, 2004
Eternal Egypt:
January 27 - May 23 2005
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Opening Image Credit Line:
Title: A Sculpture Gallery in Rome at the Time of Augustus, 1867
Artist: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (Dutch 1836-1912)
Medium: Oil on Panel
Dimensions: 61.5 x 46.9 cm
Purchase, Horseley and Annie Townsend Bequest
Image Courtesy The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: MBAM/MMFA