Impressionist Paintings and The Musée d'Orsay with Marie Dessaillen
Learn with Marie Dessaillen

Impressionist Paintings and The Musée d'Orsay with Marie Dessaillen

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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Paris in the nineteenth century was the capital of art and culture. Musicians, writers, and artists flocked to the city to enjoy the freedom brought by the French Revolution. But the Revolution also brought the bourgeoisie, the French middle class, into power, and their taste in art was classical. According to polite society, passions were not to be y displayed. In response, a group of artists in the second half of the century launched a revolution of their own, a visual one, and it paved the way for modern art. Away from the heaviness of decorum and the artificial light of the studios, this new breed of artists painted the world as they saw it and felt it.  They depicted the reality of the underworld of Montmartre and abandoned the varnished, perfect paintbrushes of the Academy.  Their painting was their own and their style reflected their freedom. We call them the Impressionists.
This seminar will delve into the collection of Impressionist paintings that are held at the Musée d'Orsay. The museum was born in 1986 from an overflowing Louvre Museum and a 1900s railway station that needed to be saved from imminent destruction. The French national collections in Paris were split, and art from 1848 to 1905 was carefully transported across the Seine.  Now, this collection is considered to be the most complete group of Impressionist works in the world, a collection that has since turned the Musée d'Orsay into a tourist favorite.
Led by art historian Marie Dessaillen, this interactive discussion will focus on some of the most iconic paintings of the collection by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, and explore the notion that Impressionism was a collaboration of a group of artists with a shared goal - to find buyers - rather than a school with a common style.

The daughter of a sculptor, Marie has been surrounded by art ever since she was born. A native Parisienne, she holds an undergraduate degree in history and art history, with a specialty in iconography and French and Flemish paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries. She also holds a Master's degree in museology from the Ecole du Louvre and one in Art History from the Sorbonne.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 83 reviews
93%
(77)
6%
(5)
1%
(1)
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(0)
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C
C. (Annandale, US)
Fantastic overview of musée d'Orsay

Marie Dessaillen was terrific. her enthusiasm was infectious and her knowledge of her subject impressive. The presentation was very-well organized and her slides were captivating. Marie went "the extra mile' by extending her lecture due to the amount of material she had to [resent and the questions posed by her audience. i would highly recommend Marie Dessaillen for any future conversations without hesitation.

L
Lesley Gathright (Raleigh, US)
Interesting and informative

Marie Dessaillen was very engaging and knew her subject well. Her presentation flowed throughout explaining the progression of the impressionist movement.

S
S. (Secaucus, US)
Extraordinary Passion

Marie is an amazing teacher. I have attended a few of her Context talks, with more planned, and hope someday to do some touring with her in Paris. She has enormous breadth and depth of knowledge of her subject, and she shares it all with tremendous passion. Her talks routinely run up to 30 minutes over the allotted time, and no one leaves! Highly recommend!

A
Anonymous (San Jose, US)

Familiar with the Orsay collection, I enjoyed the presentation very much and learned a great deal.

N
Nancy (Victoria, CA)
Stellar

Marie combines her incredible knowledge with a clear passion for the artworks. I have attended many of her seminars and they never disappoint.

123

Customer Reviews

Based on 83 reviews
93%
(77)
6%
(5)
1%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
C
C. (Annandale, US)
Fantastic overview of musée d'Orsay

Marie Dessaillen was terrific. her enthusiasm was infectious and her knowledge of her subject impressive. The presentation was very-well organized and her slides were captivating. Marie went "the extra mile' by extending her lecture due to the amount of material she had to [resent and the questions posed by her audience. i would highly recommend Marie Dessaillen for any future conversations without hesitation.

L
Lesley Gathright (Raleigh, US)
Interesting and informative

Marie Dessaillen was very engaging and knew her subject well. Her presentation flowed throughout explaining the progression of the impressionist movement.

S
S. (Secaucus, US)
Extraordinary Passion

Marie is an amazing teacher. I have attended a few of her Context talks, with more planned, and hope someday to do some touring with her in Paris. She has enormous breadth and depth of knowledge of her subject, and she shares it all with tremendous passion. Her talks routinely run up to 30 minutes over the allotted time, and no one leaves! Highly recommend!

A
Anonymous (San Jose, US)

Familiar with the Orsay collection, I enjoyed the presentation very much and learned a great deal.

N
Nancy (Victoria, CA)
Stellar

Marie combines her incredible knowledge with a clear passion for the artworks. I have attended many of her seminars and they never disappoint.

123