Brandon Twp.- Prints and drawings by some of the world’s most famous artists are no longer on public display at the Detroit Institute of Arts due to their fragile nature, but locally there is an opportunity this week to see and hear about these treasured works in a special program.
Constance Corrigan will present ‘Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists? from 7-8 p.m., June 29, at the library, 304 South St., in the village.
‘This particular talk is no longer at the museum because the prints and drawings are very fragile and not on exhibit,? said Corrigan, a DIA interpretive program volunteer. ‘The exhibit began in October and ended in March. It may be years before we ever see them again, because there is a finite amount of time they can be exposed to light and air.?
The works are now in climate-controlled storage, but Corrigan will present a slideshow of the drawings and prints, by artists including Degas, Renoir, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Vuillard, Bonnard, and Cezanne.
‘These are all famous people who were impressionists and they painted friends who were artists, people who were not well-known, the art academy didn’t like them,? said Corrigan. ‘These now-famous people gave their own exhibits and called themselves ‘The Society of Anonymous Artists? and they were their own direct marketers. They liked to do prints, they could do more of them. They are horribly expensive now, but then they were not. We all needed to have relatives who would purchase them and now they are priceless. It’s good to show to people how glorious these people were.?
She notes that most people know Degas liked portraying ballerinas in his artwork, but most don’t know he also liked to paint or draw nude bathers. The artists featured liked to show ordinary people, in ordinary poses, doing ordinary things. The art academy in Paris during the times these artists lived did not like art that did not represent historical things, Corrigan said.
‘Impressionism is not an exact likeness,? she noted. ‘Impressionism was new and the academy did not like what is new. If the artists hadn’t broken off, they could not have become famous or well-known because they didn’t get any support. To the art world, it’s amazing. Cezanne, influenced Matisse and Picasso, because he was so out of the normal. The ability to do something different inspired them to be even more different. It’s the domino effect, they looked at things in a different way. We don’t always like things that are contemporary, but you shouldn’t shut your eyes to it. Be open, it’s just another wonderful aspect of art.?
Program attendees will enjoy seeing familiar names doing works they haven’t seen before, Corrigan believes. She will explain the techniques used in works of art that library guests may not see in person again in their lifetime. She recommends that art lovers go see special exhibits at the DIA when the opportunity is presented, as it may not come around again.
Those not able to go to the DIA have a chance to see reproductions of famous paintings from the museum’s collection around town through July 15. The DIA Inside|Out program has brought eight replicas of masterpieces from artists including Van Gogh to outdoor locations around the village.
Following the June 29 Behind the Seen program ‘Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists,? a tour of the village to see the works will be given. For more information on the program or the tour, call 248-627-1460 or visit www.brandonlibrary.org