Impressionism as Avant Garde

Dear Friends,

Allen and I went to the de Young Museum recently to see the “Birth of Impressionism” special exhibit that is running there right now.  If you have even the slightest interest in visual arts or painting, you should find time to see this show.  It traces the beginnings of impressionism with works from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, which is going through renovations at present.  The show runs at the de Young until 6 September. 

Impressionism, which found its home in Paris at the end of the 19th century, was a sharp departure from the classical art that had been the standard prior to this era.  Impressionist painters couldn’t get their paintings hung in the salon and had to have their own shows, for which they were derided, in order to be seen. 

These paintings that we now hold in such esteem, that are truly masters, were avant garde by the standards of the time.  Some laughed at the artists who were producing them and very few took them seriously.  What a difference a century can make. 

We have to be careful what we deride and consider foolish, and not just in the world of art.   For what we think today is impossible or too far out there for reality may soon become not only possible, but the new standard.

The ruling about Proposition 8 by Judge Walker is another such change that, not too long ago, would have been considered a foolish goal.  Marriage between two people of the same gender would have been thought of as too far out for any reasonable person to think about.  Even among gay and lesbian people, not that long ago, marriage seemed such an unattainable goal that it was deemed not worthy of putting effort into.  But here we are with a federal judge declaring that it’s a constitutional right.

Watch what you consider outré or avant garde...it may soon be the norm by which all else is measured.

Peace,
Gerry