Paysage avec peupliers, temps gris, Eragny (1899) - Camille Pissarro
Nymphéas en fleur (ca. 1914-17) - Claude Monet
Extérieur de la gare Saint-Lazare, effet de soleil (1877) - Claude Monet
Le pont japonais, Jardin de Claude Monet - Blanche Hoschedé-Monet
La porte du jardin à Vétheuil (1881) - Claude Monet
L’Escaut en amont d’Anvers, le soir (1892) - Théo van Rysselberghe
Soleil couchant, Pontoise (1879) - Camille Pissarro
Petit garçon au bord du bassin du jardin du Luxembourg - Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin
Deux danseuses (ca. 1880-85) - Edgar Degas
Deux danseuses is a superbly executed example of one of Edgar Degas’ favourite subjects: the backstage world of the ballet which existed beyond the public gaze. Degas preferred these behind-the scenes depictions of the ballet to the glamourous crowd and theatre. He portrays two ballerinas in the wings, resting and self-absorbed before making their graceful entrance. Degas brings the viewer close to the dancers by cropping the composition at ankle height, creating an exhilarating sense of proximity to the figures.
Bords du Loing (1892) - Alfred Sisley
Sisley depicts the boatyard at Matrat, downstream from the town of Moret, its focal point being the small house seen across the river. This part of the Loing landscape served as Sisley’s subject in a number of oils. Whilst in most other paintings of the boatyard Sisley depicted workers going about their daily activities, often with the characteristic architecture of Moret with its church and arched bridge visible in the background, in the present work the artist focused on the serenity of nature. Although the boatyard was only a short distance from the town, its busy everyday life is not discernible in this composition.
Un jardin à Sorrente (1881) - Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Un jardin à Sorrente shows Renoir absorbing the particular climate of the region. Using the distinctive parallel brushstrokes that he developed in the works of this period, Renoir evokes the soft light and tonal harmonies of the Mediterranean landscape, focusing less on rendering precise detail, than on capturing the atmosphere of the place. In the present work Renoir combines the timelessness of the subject with the soft handling and expressive colouring that were the hallmarks of his Impressionist painting.
Nature morte aux pommes (1890) - Paul Gauguin
Like Impressionist painters before him, Gauguin was attracted to the genre of still-life and pastoral themes as emblems of a pristine past, free from the complications of modern civilised life. This uncomplicated subject-matter allowed the artist to focus on his technique and on use of colour and form. In the present composition, the apples are scattered along a table-top which fills the width of the canvas, with a folded cloth and patterned wall behind them. While the flattened perspective and colour contrasts are certainly influenced by similar compositions by Cézanne, the bright, vibrant colouration of the apples is unique to Gauguin, as is the otherworldly, spiritual note with which he imbues his subject.