To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the "Monet & Friends" global touring light and shadow exhibition will come to Shanghai in the golden autumn of 2023, with the Shanghai World Expo Museum, which is full of art and design, from September 29, 2023 to 2024 On January 7th, start your romantic journey.

　　I will popularize some knowledge about Impressionism for everyone. Today our key word is "road to fame", let's take a look

Water lily Pond 1899

　　Regarding Impressionism, some people praise it for creating a new aesthetic concept that influenced many schools of Western art in later generations; some people marvel at the "third-rate art groups" that were criticized by mainstream aesthetics for constructing a modern scientific view of color. In fact, the "road to fame" of the Impressionists was gradually recognized and recognized through their group exhibitions, and finally reached glory. It was during this process that the Impressionist exhibitions broke through many aspects of content, form and concept. The long-standing salon exhibition system has made a significant contribution to the history of world exhibitions and world collections.

　　Exhibitions that are “standardized”

　　The academic school emerged as early as the 16th century in Italy. At first, artists learned art by becoming apprentices to already-established artists. However, this indirectly led to the inconsistency in artistic styles, art theories and ideologies among the artists. The establishment of the Art College hopes that artists in various fields can maintain the unity of art by receiving systematic art education. For a long time after that, academies became popular in Europe and developed from private operations to state operations, allowing the academies to lead the artistic atmosphere of a country.

Four O’Clock at the Salon 1847

　　Since the beginning of the 18th century, salon art exhibitions have been a key means for art schools to plan their careers and gain visibility for their disciples. It can be said that at that time, whether an artist could become famous after finishing his student career directly depended on this art exhibition.

The Salon of 1767

　　In 1725, the first Academy Salon was organized by the French government at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The exhibition displayed more than 3,000 academic works, using up every inch of the venue and created a huge response. It is worth noting that the salon only served as an important platform for artists to communicate with the public and did not have the nature of transactions. The salon was also the only way for artists to enter the top art class at that time. So artists all squeezed their heads to participate in art salon exhibitions, but because the academy monopolized the salon's review committee, not all talented artists could participate.

　　"Rejected Artwork"

　　It is precisely because of the monopoly of the academy and the salon on art that it has caused dissatisfaction among some artists. Starting from 1860, a group of talented and high-spirited artists basically graduated from the academic school. However, due to the overly advanced ideas reflected in their paintings, they were successively "rejected" by the Salon Review Committee and the jury.

Gustave Doré Salon call for submissions ends in 1863

　　In 1863, in order to show that the committee was fair and impartial, Napoleon III held the Salon des Refusés for the first time. All the works that had been rejected by the committee for participation in the Salon were made public one by one, and were well received by the public. However, art Critics criticized the salon and its works, especially Manet's "Luncheon on the Prairie". Because of this, this group of artists began to feel genuinely disillusioned with the academics.

Studio at Batignonles 1870

(The characters appearing in the picture are Manet, Monet, Zola, Reano, etc.)

　　In the Guebwa Cafe, where artists often met and exchanged opinions, the critic Paul Alexi was inspired to publish an article in the newspaper "National Future" proposing the abolition of the Salon jury, and the establishment of an independent artists' association. A few days later, Monet responded. Monet also proposed the establishment of an artist group - an artist group that did not obey the official academy organization and could freely depict nature and daily life. This group was the "Association of Unknown Artists, Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers" established in 1873.

　　"The First Impressionist Painting Exhibition"

35 Avenue Capicina, Paris

　　On January 17, 1874, the "Chronicle of Art" published an article about the establishment of the "Society of Unknown Artists". The article stated that "a cooperative of painters, sculptors, printmakers, and lithographers, with mobile personnel and capital. The joint-stock company was established on December 27 with a term of 10 years. The purpose of the company is: 1. To organize free exhibitions, with neither a jury nor an honorary award. Each company member can exhibit his or her own work; 2. sell the exhibited works; 3. publish a newspaper that only talks about art as soon as possible." On April 15, 1874, in Nadar's studio at No. 35 Avenue Capicina in Paris, an exhibition that shocked the art world at that time was held. The "Guild of Unknown Artists, Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers" exhibition was the first Impressionist exhibition. The exhibition was led by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and brought together 30 artists, including Impressionists such as Monet, Degas, Sisley, Cézanne, Pissarro, Sisley and Morisot. More than 160 works of masters were displayed together.

Impression Sunrise 1872

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Theater Box Laloge 1874

Gelatebianca 1873

The Ballet Class 1873-76

　　(This work is on the catalog of the First Impressionist Exhibition but has not been officially exhibited)

A Modern Olympia 1873-74

　　In this exhibition, in addition to Monet's world-famous masterpiece "Impression of Sunrise", Renoir's "Theatre Box", Pissarro's "White Frost", Degas's "Dancer", Cézanne's "Modern Olympia" and other masterpieces were all on display.

Catalog of the First Impressionist Painting Exhibition

　　For the work "Sunrise·Impression", Renoir's brother Edmond asked Monet to give the work an attractive name when compiling the exhibition catalog, which later led to its worldwide attention. Critic Louis Leroy was very interested in the work and its title during the exhibition. It was the deliberate ambiguity of the work that led him to conclude that it was "nothing more than impressionism" and "a rough wallpaper is more beautiful than this seascape.""Complete" comments also indirectly created the subsequent "Impressionism". In addition, in order to make the exhibition easier for the public to appreciate at close range and for the purpose of commercial transactions, the exhibition was curated in a very different way from the traditional salon exhibition. The artists' works were hung in two parallel rows according to their sizes. The upper row is for larger works, and the lower row is for smaller works.

    Exhibition Name: Monet & Friends - Immersive Light and Shadow Exhibition Global Tour to China

　　Shanghai Station Exhibition Venue: World Expo Museum, No. 818 Mengzi Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

　　Exhibition time: September 29, 2023 – January 7, 2024

　　Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 09:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:15)

　　Opening extended to 19:00 every Saturday and Sunday in October (no entry at 18:00)