Lillie Schwier
The Southern Editor
The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (AGB), Florida Southern’s art museum, serves as both an academic and community museum that has hosted an array of styles over its 58 years. The newest exhibit, Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School 1860-1930, opened on Oct. 5 and will be available until Feb. 23.
It showcases over 100 works from the impressionist movement, particularly from the Hague School (a movement against traditional academic paintings) and Dutch artists. This exhibit stands apart from many past exhibits as it is one of the largest AGB’s history. To add to this, every piece is from a private collection coming from people’s homes. Many of the pieces have never been in the United States before and may never be again, thus making the exhibit one of a kind.
Dr. Alexander Rich serves as the executive director and chief curator of the museum, as well as a professor and department chair of art history and museum studies at Florida Southern College. In the monthly Gallery Perspectives exhibition tour, Rich explored the extensive reach of Impressionism, revealing its broader scope beyond common knowledge.
While Impressionism is strongly associated with the French and American movements, it extends much further. Dutch Impressionism is far less recognized. The museum’s goal through this exhibit is to “broaden our understanding of Impressionism.”
During the late 19th century, the Netherlands was experiencing a revival in its economy, an increase in trade, and industrialization, thus dividing the gap in social classes. In the midst of this rose the artistic center in The Hague. Inspired by the French Barbizon movements, where landscapes became the focal points of the paintings, these pieces, unlike many previous art movements, were painted to go in people’s homes and were painted on a much smaller scale, making them more affordable for middle-class families.
Similarly to Barbizon, The Hague School movement painted rural landscapes and scenes of everyday life, far different from the academic and traditional realistic styles. Dutch Impressionists often painted en plein air meaning “in open air.” Artists would paint landscapes outside as they saw them. This significantly contributed to the authentic style of Impressionism where many artists would begin and finish the piece while outside instead of being in a studio.
Artists often used muted color palettes which led to the adoption of the name the “Grey School.” Artists such as Joseph Israels, the Maris brothers, Willem de Zwart, Willem Rip, Willem Roelofs, and became prominent artists in the movement, all of whose works can be found in the exhibit.
While the initial artists of the Dutch Impressionism movement worked to push against the styles of the Romantic schools and academic artists, the second generation of artists created in a society that had accepted Impressionism as the modern way. The second generation focused more on urban settings and city life with lighter colors.
This shift in subject matter highlights another aspect of Impressionism. The exhibit not only reveals the overlooked history of Dutch Impressionism, but also sheds light on the cultural and historical contexts in which these works were created. These pieces represent the diverse social classes and conditions of both the common worker and the urban elite.
Paintings such as Willem de Zwart’s “Milking Time,” featuring a father and his young daughter with a cow and a bucket of fresh milk, depict scenes of everyday life for the working class of the Netherlands. In contrast, another one of de Zwart’s pieces entitled “Promenade in the Park,” includes aristocratic mothers dressed in lavish clothes while in a park, thus showing the wealthy population’s daily routine.
Other works in the exhibit are displayed in almost seemingly satirical comparative as a very well-to-do man and woman are riding on horseback in luxurious garments placed next to muted paintings of fisher people mending nets, gathered by the beach wearing unpretentious clothing.
“We see the contrast between the cosmopolitan life of a true built-up political city because it is the political center of the Netherlands, but there are also these beaches that fisher folk show up for the very specific geography of the Netherlands and the Hague in particular,” Rich said.
The striking juxtaposition of social class and daily life is clearly in conversation, providing insight into the lives of late 19th century Europeans.
The exhibit also makes known the social change taking place in the Netherlands at the time, as women were introduced into the art scene as major contributors to the Hague Art Academy Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunste beginning in 1871. Though not given equal access to classes, women who had the time to dedicate towards art, specifically those of wealth, could take classes on how to teach.
Much of this progress is attributed to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who became a distinguished artist of the Hague School and a part of the society’s Pulchri Studio. Other women were able to learn from male family members but, married women were not allowed to earn money from their art. Therefore, many female artists remained single or sought support from their husbands.
The subject matter was very limited for female artists, as their education and life experiences were restricted. Many pieces depicted “still-life and portraiture especially attractive subjects,” much of which are flowers and animals, not the traditional impressionistic subject. But they painted it in impressionistic styles. This surmounted the forced gender expectations and contributed to the movement.
The “Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School 1860-1930,” exhibit not only highlights the lesser-known Dutch Impressionist movement but also provides a rich exploration of the cultural and historical context of the late 19th century Netherlands.
Through the insightful leadership of Rich and the museum’s commitment to broadening the understanding of Impressionism, visitors are offered a unique glimpse into the contrasting social classes and daily life of the era. The exhibit also sheds light on the evolving role of women in art, showcasing their contributions amidst societal changes. This one-of-a-kind collection offers a rare and comprehensive look at Dutch Impressionism, making it an noteworthy experience for art enthusiasts and historians alike.
