Snapshot: Painters and Photography, Bonnard to Vuillard is a fine art exhibition at the Phillups Gallery in Washington, DC. The show explores invention of the Kodak handheld camera in 1888 and how it energized the working methods and creative vision of many post-impressionists. Several of the leading painters and printmakers of the day used photography to record their public spheres and private lives, producing surprising, inventive results.
The exhibition features experiments made with the camera by seven figures. Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Edouard Vuillard, and Félix Vallotton were leading members of the Nabis, a group of French avant-garde artists who sought a new kind of painting inspired by Paul Gauguin. George Hendrik Breitner, Henri Evenepoel, and Henri Rivière responded with equal enthusiasm to the possibilities inherent in the new medium.
My favorite example from the show is included above. It is a painting by George Hendrik Breitner, Girl in Red Kimono, along with the photograph he took in his studio that he used to create the piece. I think the example shows how photography can aid in other forms of fine art and the artist still allows his imagination and sense of color to lead the way as the painting deviated from the seriousness of the black and white photograph.
I found the Curator's notes especially interesting, follow the link and check out all the online resources the gallery offers. I am excited to see this show.
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