Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.

At almost the last minute we finally made it to the Detroit Institute of Art to see the Impressionist exhibit Humble and Human which runs through October 13, 2019.

I loved seeing how art and individual artists developed over time.

 Alfred Sisley, Village Street in Marlotte, 1866

Clearing in the Woods, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Woman Sewing, Berthe Morisot, abt. 1879

Violinist and Young Woman, Edgar Degas, abt. 1871

Cafe Scene in Paris, Henri Gervix, 1877

Political Woman, James Tissot, 1881-5

 Tissot was a master at replicating fashion!

After several paintings of the rich and powerful came portraits of ordinary and plain folk.

Woman With a Bandage, Edgar Degas, 1872-73

Jockeys on Horseback Before Distant Hills, Edgar Degas, 1884

View of the Crotoy from Upstream, Georges Seurat, 1889

 Note how Seurat continued his pointillism onto the frame.

Study for "Le Chahut", Georges Seurat, 1889

Morning in Provence, Paul Cezanne, 1900-6

Mont-Sainte-Victorie, Paul Cezanne, 1904-6

Study for "Le Pont de L'Europe," Gustave Caillebotte, 1876

Many of these paintings are in the permanent collection of the DIA. Including these wonderful Van Goghs.

The Old Mill, Van Gogh,

Spirit of the Dead Walking, Paul Gauguin, 1892

The Yellow Christ, Paul Gauguin

We then had to visit our favorite gallery of American paintings.

They remind us that empires fall but nature is eternal.

Syria by the Sea, Frederic Edwin Church, 1873

 And of the magnificent and awesome beauty of nature.

Indian Summer, Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1866

 And I will end by sharing my favorite Frederick Edwin Church painting, Cotopaxi.

from the DIA website:

In Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., a selection of more than forty Impressionist and post-Impressionist treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts traces the arc of a period that elevated the irreducible beauty of the everyday to the status of fine art.

A testament to the power of collaboration among artists, museums, and cities, the exhibition explores the pioneering work of leading Impressionist and post–Impressionist artists, including Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Berthe Morisot. It also celebrates the life and vision of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., who saw in the art of these late nineteenth-century avant-gardists, especially that of Claude Monet, evocations of values and ideas that were close to his own heart, capturing the ephemerality of the everyday experience while dignifying hard work, simple pleasures, and ordinary people.

On the hundredth anniversary of Mr. Wilson’s birth, both institutions are proud to celebrate these extraordinary works and Mr. Wilson’s legacy as a philanthropist, business leader, and advocate for the citizens of Detroit and Buffalo.

Ofrendas: Celebrating El Dia De Muertos at the DIA

Ofrendas: Celebrating El Dia De Muertos is on exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Art until November 10, 2019. I was unprepared for what I would find when I entered this exhibit. I was immediately moved by the first display and the tears continued to well in my eyes throughout the exhibit.

The first display was in memory of the 43 students who went missing.

 Learn more about this tragedy here and about the missing here.

 

 The Border included a teddy bear in a cage.

 This altar was for the artist Robert Wilbert.

Samples of his art are included.
This tree includes Mexicans who left their mark on the world.

This haunting contribution addresses the unknown migrants who died on their journey.

 This heartbreaking map includes known deaths in the borderlands.

Courage is for the refugees displaced by violence, poverty, and human rights violations.

 Grandparents Know It All

Read about this display, below, for a doctor here.

The dark room made it hard to take good photographs and I only shared some of the 16 displays. This is art at its most powerful. This is art that can move us and educate us and allow us to understand the greater human experience.

Fri, Oct 13, 2017 — Sun, Nov 12, 2017In celebration of Dia de Muertos, the Detroit Institute of Arts, in partnership with Detroit's Mexican Consulate, invite you to explore a community exhibition of ofrenda altars. In Mexico, and other Latin American countries, the Day of the Dead is the time of the year to celebrate the lives of close relatives, friends or community members who have passed away. Objects important to lost loved ones, such as favorites foods, drinks, mementos and pictures, are collected and incorporated into elaborate displays that include pan de muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls, candles, flowers, papel picado (paper cutouts) and other decorations. Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos will be on view during regular museum hours and are included with general museum admission.