Door Number 8: The Clark

Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Clark

Reflecting pool

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is featuring a splendid exhibit called "Van Gogh and Nature" until September 13th. A friend and I recently took a Saturday to make the trip and view both the Van Gogh as well as much of the permanent collection--or at least until our feet gave out. The Clark recently opened after an extensive renovation providing a more industrial and extensive feel than the old venue which I always found lovely and accessible. But, not complaining, the day we went, the place was so popular that all paved parking was taken as was all grass parking. And the street outside (Rt. 7) had cars parked along it for probably a mile. The new venue offers comfortable chairs, umbrellas for sitting outdoors, a handsome reflecting pool, a couple of cafes with excellent offerings, footpaths, new tree plantings, and softly-lit rooms to keep sunlight from harming the art work.

The Van Gogh exhibit had been put together to include works by painters who had influenced him, including Corot, Hiroshige, Millet, and Monet. It was arranged chronologically, ending, of course, with Paris, Provence, and Auvers (where he died). Along with many landscapes and renderings of flowers, it included works depicting birds' nests, moths, and insects. I was particularly fond of the paintings of glorious Provence--of Arles and Saint-Rémy. My friend and I agreed that our favorite painting was, in fact, "Cypresses" with the Alpilles in the background, a work in which the sky, trees, hills, and foreground simply danced. A splendid, vibrant, magnificent piece. We two stood before it, transfixed.

Always thinking about what I can offer in the way of blog postings, I had my camera with me. I was not permitted to take photos of the Van Gogh exhibit itself. But I was allowed to photograph anything in the permanent collection (without a flash). The works of George Inness and Winslow Homer were favorites of the Clarks and are now in a gallery of their own. In the painting below by Alfred Stevens, I was totally smitten by his ability to portray velvet using the medium of oil paint. As for Gauguin's piece, it was painted after his return from Tahiti.