Fields and Flowers

If you've not yet been to see the Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Their Times exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art, it's definitely worth checking out. Featuring 74 pieces by 19th- and 20th-century masters, the show focuses on French Impressionist paintings and masterpieces from nearly every important school of French art. 

It's on view through January 10, 2021, and it is a beauty. You'll see work by the headliners, of course, but also from Cezanne, Gauguin, Manet, Rousseau and more. Personal favorites included Monet's Field of Poppies, Giverny, which transports you to both a place and a mood. My inherent nosiness also responded to Vallotton's The Green Room and what might be happening within it. I chuckled at the ape's surprised expression in Rousseau's Tropical Landscape (He DEFINITELY didn't think this fight through.), and I thought Cezanne's self-portrait sketch eerily favored Rich Uncle Pennybags, the Monopoly mascot.  

You will love it all - the thick strokes and paint application on a bright blue sea with a sailboat scudding across it, the utter feeling of cold on a winter sunrise townscape with two bundled figures trudging merrily down the main avenue, the nonchalance (almost dismissiveness?) of the back of a daydreamer's curly blonde head in Renoir's Pensive.    

The museum has taken many steps to ensure guest safety - timed entry reservations to eliminate crowding, face masks, sneeze guards for desk staff, floor markings indicating proper distance, etc. (You can find all the details - and make reservations and ticket purchases - on their website linked above.) 

With such careful planning by the museum staff, I was able to relax completely and enjoy the collection. I hope you will, too! Admission is a mere $15, and it's worth every penny. Enjoy!