Thoughts on an Impressionist Lecture

That title is horrible isn’t it?

She is a pretty good politician…for a girl…

She can really throw a punch…for a girl…

She really knows how to kiss…for a girl…

Okay, okay, the last part confuses me but that’s my own journey….but I think you get what I am trying to say.

“For a Girl” is an awful term and indicates nothing but a diminutive (great word right?) attitude toward the female gender. Well recently, I was lucky enough to see “A Girl” by the name of Dr. Nicole Myers here at the Portland Art Museum. Dr. Myers is a big deal. She is the Chief Curatorial and Research Officer at the Dallas Museum of Art and was in town for this lecture and exhibit. Dr. Myers dug into the heavy hitters of the Impressionist art world, and introduced an auditorium full of us to none other than Berthe Morisot.

Who is Berthe Morisot? Oh…Just a girl.

Gentle Reader: Ummm hey..that is great and all…but what the Sam Hill are you talking about?

Eric C Hudson: Well Hell-LO there Gentle Reader! How ARE you?

Gentle Reader: Not bad…I could use some Funyuns tho…I think I am out..

ECH: Not gonna snack shame you…but Funyuns will send your sodium through the roof…not a great look….

But anyway…I am a happy member of the Portland Art Museum. Not a big board member or someone who gets a wing named after them…I am more of the guy where the next level up gets a tote bag.

But I love my city! I love my museum. And THIS month Portland Art Museum (PAM) had a big ol’ Francophile painting exhibit in town! Monet...Renoir..Degas…(Oh My!) The usual random suspects! Apparently our fair city got some stuff on loan from the Brooklyn Museum. Thank you for sharing, Brooklyn! It was crazy cool. Here is the poster for it! It’s the bomb. (I know….no one says the bomb anymore…)

Okay…SO..on day one of this big ol’ exhibit..there was a lecture!

Now I am a new member of the Portland Art Museum and don’t know much….but I dig the topic of Impressionism and apparently this Dr Nicole Myers character was speaking on Berthe Morisot….a significant Impressionist artist that many peeps haven’t heard about because of her boobs.

Gentle Reader: Come again now? Dr. Myers had boobs?

ECH: Well yeah she did…but this isn’t really about that….I actually meant Berthe Morisot.

GR: Wait …are we still talking about boobs?

Eric’s quick background on boobs.

I know, I know, everyone, but stay with me for a minute….

The Salon was a fancy-shmantzy organization that approved all art in France worth…well…existing. They had a ton of rules to evaluate this super subjective topic…that topic being “Is this Art?” These Salon characters determined what was and was not considered art.

However, one ragtag group didn’t dig all the Salon rules.

This group was going to get their club of rule haters together and have their first show! An enormous middle finger to the establishment! Maybe some team jackets? Secret hand shake? Anywho, this group was going to have their own art show….Crazy artists that dug each other who decided to have a big anarchistic art show together to stick it to the man!!!

GR: I totally get it! The Salon had tons of rules and regulations on what is considered art right? All smooth…All very beautiful and zero brush strokes seen…almost like photographs! If you wanted to stick it to this big establishment..these up and coming rule hating kids could make a big splash!

ECH Exactly! (And for the record GR…you are really stepping up…I had no idea you knew so much!)

GR I am more than just eye candy you know…Oh and hey…. don’t mean to nag….you are doing great here…loving the Paris Salon history lessons and all…but when were you going to get back to the boobs?

ECH Hilarious, Gentle Reader…okay…here you go…

So it was the 1870s and the VERY FIRST Impressionist exhibit was taking place. There were a number of peeps who were part of the “stick it to the man” club. This first group showed their artworks there. Lets take a look at just a few….

ECH: Edgar Degas….remember him?

Gentle Reader: Isn’t he the ballerinas guy? With the paintings and statues? Yeah…I have heard of him…

ECH: He had 10 pieces in this first show…He was a biggie in the club. How about Claude Monet?

GR Mr Waterlillies? Who hasn’t heard of him? He IS Impressionism…(according to my Grandma)

ECH: Monet had 9 pieces at the show….I mean a big deal right?…Now how about Berthe Morisot?

GR: Did she bring them drinks? Play light piano while the men folk spoke of important matters?

ECH: She had the same number of paintings as Monet in this exhibit.

GR: Wait, wait, wait….This Bertisot woman…

ECH: Morisot

GR: Yeah, her…SHE had the same number of paintings as Monet when it came to the introduction of Impressionism? She seems like a big deal! I can’t turn a corner in a museum gift shop without Monet pillows, books, calendars…What the hell man? Why don’t I know about her?!

ECH: In a word….Boobs.

GR: GODDAMMIT!

ECH: Ummmm…yeah. While not the only factor that unfairly kept her in the shadows, her gender practically guaranteed her works would be perpetually overlooked.

Back in the day this would have been just a nice hobby “for a girl” with money. Mainly because no salons accepted women, no one wanted to pay to teach women...she couldn’t just move in with the men artists like they did…sharing a flat with Monet & Renoir…sharing concepts, ideas, techniques…Morisot couldn’t be with them, drinking and talking art and politics late into the night until early in the morning because…

GR: Boobs

ECH: Yeah…And so I appreciate y’all sticking with me here….I know I am oversimplifying . And I tend to be a bit on the ridiculous side personally. But in reality I learned a ton from Dr. Nicole’s lecture.

I could go on and just repeat her presentation. I mean, Dr Nicole spoke of how Morisot was married to Eddie Manet’s brother. How she was so close to everyone in the art world but didn’t get props. I could go on how Morisot seemed to know what work of hers would sell (Parisian ladies portraits anyone?) and which were important personally. (Landscapes of experimental techniques.) I could go on how some images were unavailable as the artwork is in the ether. Some artwork was owned by the family…some was missing…some just no one knows…For a major artist from an incredibly recognized historical period, it is crazy to me that they are not at the very least identified and tracked.

Dr Myers spoke for about an hour about Berthe Morisot who was incredibly successful in many ways but we don’t hear about. Dr Myers you rocked it. I was totally engrossed. While I love art, it is a way of manifesting history that I love. Hearing the time, place and story behind this amazing but under-appreciated artist really helps you understand what was going on at the time. Berthe Morisot’s social and financial privilege provided a comfortable life. However, even with her status, when it came to recognition in the art world, she faced hurdles she couldn’t overcome.

Today, I would like to think that many of those hurdles have been removed. More than likely, newer, different hurdles have taken their place. However, with the changing of time, I now get to learn about artists like Berthe Morisot. Where in the 1800s, it may have been difficult. I can learn about artists who may be one gender or the other…or today…somewhere in between. Regardless of where you fall, It is a great lesson that there are amazing things coming from everyone on this planet. I am learning to be open to appreciate them all.

Thank you Dr. Nicole Myers, and thank you Portland Art Museum.

You guys rock.

Rating = 9 out of 10 Ferrules!