Today I went to the Philadelphia Art Museum to see the Renoir Landscapes exhibit as a member’s preview. I was struck most by the colors: vivid and coordinated, not shocking colors but not the sleepy “nature” colors one expects to find in nineteenth century landscapes. I had forgotten how vivid and clear the Impressionists color palette was.
I feel that I have lost a connection to the natural environment around me. Perhaps I should take up landscape painting to reconnect. Then again, that is one of the things art can do for us; those of us without the training or talent can enjoy the work of artists, and it can bring us closer to nature and to the reality around us.
