It is not uncommon in the contemporary art world to see exhibits that bypass conventional standards. Both in subject matter and presentation, artists are continually broadening the horizons of what is artistically acceptable. The exhibition "Great Company: Portraits by European Masters" at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston utilizes both innovative and traditional elements by presenting an array of European portraits in a less-than-conventional context.
The exhibit is small — six paintings — but powerfully diverse in several ways. The entry lies at the top of a majestic staircase, ascending from the museum's newly renovated Fenway entrance. The portraits are hung to form an arch around the landing, a compelling first impression. While the physical arrangement is intriguing, the most striking element of the exhibit is the diversity of imagery; the portraits all represent different centuries, artistic movements and styles.
The artists represented include Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Thomas Gainsborough, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Edgar Degas and Max Beckmann. While these figures are all European masters noted for their skill and general impact on the evolution of European art, typically their works are not shown in the same gallery. After the portraits have been taken out of their normal context, the unique aspects of each piece become more apparent.
The vibrant colors of van Gogh's "Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle" (1889) presents a sharp contrast to the delicacy of Gainsborough's portrait "Mrs. Edmund Morton Pleydell" (1765). Though these works are both portraits of women, they could not be more different. Both artists display mastery in their respective fields, Gainsborough following formal academic rules and van Gogh defying those same rules in the height of post-impressionism.
Van Gogh's portrait is a personal image of a close friend. The subject is seated in an informal pose and the paint is applied with deliberate, transparent brushwork. The incorporation of pattern in the background of the piece resembles wallpaper, indicating a domestic setting. The portrait is not idealized but rather flat and exaggerated. The colors are bold and not naturalistic. All of these aspects create a highly charged work in addition to a personal story.
Unlike van Gogh's, Gainsborough's portrait was commissioned by the subject of the work. Gainsborough's client is dressed in the height of fashion of the time and he handles his medium in an incredibly controlled, highly realistic manner. The background is primarily earth tones and gives no hints of a specific setting. The portrait is handled beautifully, but it holds no story or emotional context.
The differences between these two portraits are vast and significant. Comparing them is like comparing two centuries, highlighting the developments and trends of art through a specific time span. This contrast is impressive, showing how art is constantly shifting, no matter which century it is created in.
Innovation of technique and meaning is apparent in comparing any two of the six paintings in this exhibit. The direct observation of these drastic shifts through time leads the viewer to question what kind of significance contemporary works will hold in the future. This exhibit utilizes the lessons of the past in a contemporary way and is therefore worth seeing. In looking into the eyes of the past, the importance of change becomes apparent, leading to a better understanding of contemporary developments in all aspects of the art world.
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Great Company: Portraits by European Masters
Second floor of the Evans Wing, through Jan. 4
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
617-267-9300
