Education

Art History: Spring Classes

 

Impressionism is everywhere.  What was once an art movement that the critics assured the public would be short-lived has become arguably the most popular art historical period for audiences today.  Exhibitions by the Impressionists draw record crowds and when Impressionist works come onto the market they inevitably command the highest prices, sometimes in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  We find their works reproduced everywhere, from reproduction prints to handbags, umbrellas, neckties, jigsaw puzzles, and thousands of other items.  Not bad for a school of art that was once put down as “ugly,” “unfinished,” and “dangerous.”

Just where did this once “ugly,” now stunningly beautiful school of art come from?  That is the subject of the Triton Museum of Art’s upcoming series of Art History classes, Impressionism: the Art, the Time, and its Legacy.  Beginning Thursday evenings, May 20 through June 10, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., this four-week series of classes will explore not only the art and the colorful characters who created it, but the times in which it was created along with the social, political, scientific, and historical influences that helped define it.

The classes will be taught by the Triton Museum’s Curator of Art and Art Historian Preston Metcalf.  Those familiar with Mr. Metcalf's engaging and entertaining teaching style know that you can expect more than just names and dates … he will escort you on a journey through time as you explore some of the greatest art and ideas ever conceived.

Tour to de Young Museum and Legion of Honor
These classes coincided with a major travelling exhibition of Impressionist art from the prestigious Musée d’Orsay in Paris, scheduled to show at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco.  Thirty-six museum members,board members and staff joined us for the tours to the deYoung and Legion of Honor on Wednesday, June 9th. A fabulous time was had by all. The convenience of traveling to San Francisco by bus was a luxury that anyone who has sought parking in the City appreciated. 

There will be another bus tour to the Post Impressionists exhibition at the DeYoung in the fall. Please call (408) 247-9340 or visit www.tritonmuseum.org later this summer for more details.