The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, November 27, 1979-Page 5 A T THE AR TGALLERY: A broad view of impressionism By JONATHAN KUHN Everyone, it seems, loves Impression- ism (even those who have never step- ped foot in a museum will tell you that they do ). There are certain qualities-the light filled-canvases and rich colors-in many Impressionist paintings that prove to be irresistable. Yet there are many myths and miscon- ceptions that have arisen concerning and green frame, and many works of the Impressionists around 1880 would have been, exhibited in a similarly shocking way. The use of bright com- plementary colors in the mounting is meant to illustrate the Impressionist's interest in color experimentation. A large oil painting by Gustave Caillebotte, Boating on the Yerre, of- fers a marvelous example of Im- pressionism at its height. Caillebotte is paintings by Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond, and Berthe Morrisot-the three women in the Im- pressionist movement-have been grouped together. The central work, Bracquemond, is a pleasant surprise. Her work certainly owes some of its technique to the feathery brushwork and figural compositions of Renoir, yet this painting of three persons ("On the Terrace at Sevres") achieves a tempted a narrative realism that caused dissent among the Im- pressionist group. Rafaelli is represen- ted here by four works, including one which is quite fine-The Absinthe Drinkers-depicting with much sen- sitivity two well-to-do men who have fallen upon hard times. The premise in planning this exhibition as that Impressionism was not an homogeneous movement. The wide span of painterly technique seen in the show-from Monet to Rafaelli-backs this premise with graphic proof. Several works, such as Renoir's jarring view of St. Mark's, force us to reassess our preconceptions radically. Also, the care that has been taken to represent all but two of the Im- pressionists who exhibited between 1878 and 1882, the crucial years of "crisis," agrees neatly with the egalitarian prin- ciples uf, the Impressionist movement. "The Crisis of Impressionism" is a fascinating show with both historical and artistic significance. Due to the nature of its approach-to represent the full range of the Impressionist painters and their various styles-there is an unevenness in the quality of the works. Yet there are certainly enough gems to make a trip to the art museum a must. ARE YOU LETTING CLASSES GET TO YOU? 00 RELAX Take a break ... you deserve it! : Gx , y . wt ..y d11P Ww -. 1 i . . ,. N1 i .+ {' ' Y t C t ,. Jean- francois Raffaelli: The Absinthe Drinkers ORSON WELLES' 1942 THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS TIM HOLT plays the young son and newly-appointed heir to a proud old family fortune going headlong into decline. DOLORES COSTELLO as his overly-indulgent mother, JOSEPH COTTON as her upstart industrial suitor, AGNES MOOREHEAD and ANN BAXTER round out the talented cast. ORSON WELLS supplies the narration and does the direction. Wed: GOING PLACES CINEMA GUILD TONIGHT AT 7:00 & 9:05 OLD ARCH. AUD. $1.50 1 1 v Edgar Degas: Rehearsal in the studio this artistic movement. The current exhibit at the University's Museum of Art-"The Crisis of Impressionism" (Nev. 2nd-Jan. 6th)-does much to dispel these myths. The name "Impressionism" is a misnomer. It is a title that suggests an unfinished quality and carries negative connotations of something incomplete. Furthermore, as a term meant to em- brace the widemange of artists from Monet to Degas, it implies a sameness that observation does not beat our. Three years ago, the University museum acquired La Debacle by Claude Monet. The painting depicts floting ice. History of art professor Joel Isaacson and Bret Waller, Director of the Museum, observed that the new acquisition did not correspond to the popular notion of Impressionist art. Its muted colors and somber mood clashes with the sunny image we usually en- vision. This painting became the im- petus for "The Crisis of Impression- ims." and determined its approach: to show the varying currents of the Im- pressionist movement and to represent the internal dissention among its mem- bers. Organized by guest curator, Joel Isaacson, the exhibition includes works from private and public collections. in the U.S. and abroad. THE SHOW focuses on the years 1878- 82, and many of the works currently on display actually appeared in the original Impressionist exhibitions. In 1877, the group officially adopted the title, "Impressionists," one that had first been coined by their critics. By 1879 however, in an effort at reaffir- ming their original purpose to allow ar- tistic freedom, the name was switched to the more political "Independents." Despite these efforts at encouraging in- dividuality, the group had become polarized into two camps. The layout of the exhibition at the University art gallery clearly stresses thin division. In the south gallery are works by those who considered them- selves "true Impressionists:" The colorists who often painted landscapes. These include Monet, Renoir, Pisarro, and others. In the north wing are works by the "realists." This group consists of Degas and his followers, who concen- trated mostly upon scenes of urban life and figural studies. The factional disputes between the various painters, along with various defactions and per- sonal problems, constitute the "crisis" to which the exhibit's title refers. Impressionism as a unified movement was never well defined, and its members banded together more as a rejection of the academic Salon, then due to a close artistic kinship. THE ETCHING by Mary Cassatt in- troduces the show. The print is mounted with a startling combination of red mat able to capture the shimmering water and expansive scenery with breathtaking ability. In the same room, four landscapes by Monet-the leader of the "pure Im- pressionists"-are placed side by side. The painting, Sunset on the Seine, Win- ter Effect (1880), is the most powerful composition of these. It has a sketchy, spontaneous touch, and indeed Monet considered it a very personal work-so. much so that he did not submit it with three paintings he sent to the Salon in the same year. A PAINTING in the rotun- da-Renoir's view of St. Mark's Square in Venice-highlights some of the problems to which the Impressionists were succeptible. Venice is a subject that has always appealed to painters due to its spectacular light and roman- tic setting. Renoir's treatment of the subject is a tour-de-force, yet a tour-de- force bordering on confusion. The paint was applied with great fervor, creating swirling motions and blurred images. Yet Renoir's subject conflicts with his method. He takes a Gothic-Byzantine church-with all its elaborate or- nament-and breaks it down further, thus fracturing something that was quite "busy" to begin with. His pain- ting, although undeniably dynamic and in parts quite beautiful, suffers due to coloristic excesses. The art in the north gallery presents the less romanticized side of Im- pressionism. On the right hand wall, mysterious atmosphere and exaggerated lighting effects that are uniqurely her own. Also in this room is a Caillebotte )The Balcony) that exploits a restricted space and unusual perspective, and two Mary Cassatts which show her at her best-delivering sentiment without sen- timentality while capturing the momentary qualities of a scene. THE EXTRAORDINARY talent of Degas leaves its imprint on the exhibition. A work entitled Les Blan- cheuses is perhaps the most stunning painting in the show. It takes an or- dinary subject-washerwoman-and treats it with a choreographed elegan- ce. The dynamic use of a very shallow space also adds to the picture's impact. In the center of the north gallery stands Degas' well known and much loved sculpture, Little Dancer of Four- teen Years. The statue is familiar not only because it is so often reproduced in photographs, but also because there are twenty-three extant casts of it. This particular cast was lent to the Univer- sity's exhibition by the Shelbourne museum in Vermont, but only after provisions had been made for the making of a new skirt. Originally exhibited by Degas in wax (1879-80), bronze casts of the dancer were made only after his death in 1917. Also included in the exhibition are some lesser-knowns such as Forain, Piette, and Zandomeneghi. One such painter, Jean-Francois Raffaelli at- .abiortion?9" SFree Pregnancy Testing Immediate Results Confidential Counseling Complete Birth Control Clinic Medicaid * Blue Cross S({313) 941-1810 Ann Arbor and Downriver area 1(313)559-0590 Southfield area Northland Family Planning Clinic, Inc. i I a 0 I -P=CINEMAII111- ° ' TROLLSTENEN .'%4 (Gunvor Nelson, 1976) Independent film artist Gunvor Nelson's first feature-length film is an un- usual, highly stylized portrait of the members of her family as they recall their childhood in their native Sweden. What makes TROLLSTENEN mag- nificent is the masterful manner in which Nelson integrates a tremendous body of information, balancing the matter-of-fact level on which such an autobiographical film generally works with a romantic, richly imaginative vision of her family and past. (125 min.) NAT. SCi. AUD. 7:00 & 9:15 $1.50 Friday: The Films of Chick Strand in port sponsored by MSA With the support of the Michigan Council for the Arts. wo IN 'r JAM SESSION This TUESDAY NIGHT at Rick's Sponsored by pzZ -All Jazz artists and instrumentalists