French Landscapes: The Modern Vision 1880-1920 Hardback - 1999

During the early modern period French landscape painting flourished as an area of major innovation in technique and stylistic approach. Some of the most beautiful and appealing works of such artists as Braque, Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse, Monet, Seuat, Signac, and Vlaminck were devoted to the pursuit of a new and revolutionary pictorial language for the representation of nature. This book is published to accompany a section of the fall centennial exhibitions (October 28-March 14, 2000) at the Museum of Modern Art, New York From Paris and its surroundings, the illustration progresses through Brittany and Normandy to the South of France, with emphasis on Aix-en-Province, St-Remy, L'Estaque, Collioure, and then Morocco. The Parisian scenes are primarily photographs by Eugene Atgel and other early French photographers. The countryside is depicted by paintings, prints, and drawings. Documentary photographs from the period, maps and topographical descriptions of the locations depicted help to anchor the works reproduced, all from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, in the physical landscape of France, while the introductory text addresses the French political and artistic climate of the period and diverse influences which affected the artists. The book, which casts a fresh light on a particular genre of French painting, is also a captivating homage to the land and the look of France.