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I recently had the opportunity to visit the Musee d’Orsay and see their exhibit Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism. The museum always has an extensive exhibit of impressionist art, but this was a new, in-depth presentation that focused on the movement’s history and evolution.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the impressing movement for many reasons, but overall, I love its spirit! There’s an overall theme of showing slices of life as they were. Degas, in particular, was fascinated by the behind-the-scenes lives of ballerinas and left us a legacy of sweet and intimate scenes of practices and backstage life. At the time, those subjects were unheard of. The landscapes showed the artist’s love for nature and painting outdoors. But it might be the colors that really capture my eye. There is joy in the colors of impressionistic art. There is a casual fluidity and elegance in brush strokes that seem so simple but are actually so carefully measured. The lighting is another feature that is easy to appreciate in these works. I may be a great lover of art, but this is not an art lesson!
An Artful Influence
As I strolled through the rooms filled with masters’ work, I wondered how all the visuals I was soaking in, would manifest in my work over the next year and how we use art in our clients’ homes.
Sometimes, it’s intentional and sometimes completely unintentional that my work involves soaking up cultural events, art, and architecture as my mind digests these images.
How will I let this experience inform designs for our clients? I believe I’ll have a renewed focus on how we use art. The obvious use of art in a room is selecting pieces to put on the walls. But if art truly inspires, it can do so much more. Impressionists do not simply render landscapes but the impression that a landscape gives. Monet wouldn’t have used the term “a vibe,” but in a way, that’s what they were showing: the vibe of the place, the scene, the party.
Did you ever see a painting and feel you could live in it, and do you long to be right there in the scene?
Pushing Boundaries with Artistic Elements
Can I be inspired by an art piece and its vibe and then translate that into a room design that reflects the original piece without ever even hanging that actual piece? I think so! It starts with a color palette, then moves into textures and types of objects that would serve the use and encourage that feeling in the room from the painting. But let’s not forget lighting. Impressionist lighting was so often softly dappled while subtly highlighting the story the artist wanted to tell.
Let’s explore more color palettes pulled from art, and let us bring this impressionistic flair to your interiors.
My apologies to all the true scholars of art out there! I am definitely not an art historian; I’m simply a fan who loves bringing her passion and inspiration to her clients’ homes.
