Beyond the Sea: Impressionism and Modern Painting in Europe

Beyond the Sea: Impressionism and Modern Painting in Europe takes Telfair audiences on a journey across Europe through some of the museum’s finest turn-of-the-century paintings. Visitors will follow in the footsteps of Gari Melchers, Robert Henri, Frederick Carl Frieseke, and an international cohort of their contemporaries as they search for new subjects and modes of painting along the sunny coasts of France, Italy, and Spain and in art capitals like Amsterdam and Paris. The 18 works on view in this installation are a mix of landscapes and figure paintings, exploring the Old World through its scenery and people. Often working outdoors, these artists used expressive brushstrokes and experimented with the depiction of weather conditions and the play of natural light. While some painters selected Dutch countryfolk or Spanish dancers as their models, others depicted friends and family, providing casual views of leisure and luxury a century ago. The exhibition places many Telfair collection highlights in dialogue with some recent acquisitions and with works by Savannah artists Valentino Molina and Mary Hoover Aiken.