Divan Japonais

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, a post-impresstionist, was born into an aristocratic French family in 1864. cast out early in life because of a birth defect (likely the result of inbreeding), he found a home amongst the bohemian artists and performers in Montmartre. he made a living creating posters such as this one, which advertises a cabaret performance. all of western Europe was, at this point, enamored of Japanese culture, a result of the recent opening of Japan and an outpouring of Japanese goods.

Divan Japonais was painted in 1893 and is housed at the MFA Boston.

Claude Monet

growing up in Boston, I spent countless weekends perusing the galleries at the Museum of Fine Art. my favorites were always the Impressionists and the Egyptian exhibit.

the painting above is found in the impressionist exhibit there, it is of Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet. Monet did a whole series on the cathedral, or rather on the ways light illuminated the cathedral. he painted the building throughout several seasons and at different times of day in order to capture the different effects of sunlight, or lack thereof.

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