When you hear the words Dutch Impressionism, what is your initial reaction?
Perhaps your initial reaction is the same as ours: I didn't know the Dutch were Impressionists.
Well, the 10 Year Plan has the advantage of teaching us something almost every day. The other day, we learned about Dutch Impression by visiting a small museum recommended by a friend.
The Fondation Custodia is a museum in the 7th arrondissement founded in 1947 by a wealthy Dutch art collector living in Paris, Frits Lugt. The museum is housed in the collector's former home, the very large Hôtel Turgot, a mansion from the 1700's.
The museum usually features Old Master paintings but is temporarily exhibiting a collection of paintings by Dutch Impressionist Willem Bastiaan Tholen (1860-1931). (You can read about Tholen's life by clicking here.)
We viewed the collection and were impressed with some of Tholen's paintings. Many of the paintings were typically Dutch--dark, hyper-accurate depictions of Dutch life and Dutch landscape. Some of the paintings, however, departed from that tradition and crossed into Impressionism.
Below is a photographic tour of the temporary exhibition. We hope you enjoy some of the paintings.
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| (The photograph above is in focus. The artist depicted the scene in filmy haze.) |
In addition to oil painting, Tholen was also skilled in watercolor and drawing.
The sketch above became the painting below.
One favorite painting in the exhibition is pictured below, a lovely autumn scene that is Impressionist yet lifelike.
Thanks for visiting the Fondation Custodia with us. Dutch Impressionism, who knew?
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| Beauty descending a staircase by Jean-Claude (2019) |
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