Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: Along the Seine

An examination of the innovative portrayals of industry and leisure created by five avant-garde artists working at Asni鑽es in the late nineteenth century

From 1881 to 1890, Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand chose Asni鑽es, a suburb of Paris, as a site of artistic experimentation. Located on the Seine, Asni鑽es became a popular destination for Parisians thanks to aquatic sports and festivals starting in the 1850s, facilitated by the arrival of new train stations and bridges earlier in the century. This convenient new transportation system had beckoned Parisians to more distant destinations like Argenteuil and Bougival, resulting in the river scenes depicted by Impressionists like Monet and Renoir. At the same time, the idyllic landscape of Asni鑽es increasingly contrasted with the factories appearing on the opposite side of the river. Homing in on the tensions between leisure and work, the avant-garde artists at Asni鑽es sought to capture the feeling of this starkly modern landscape by developing innovative motifs, styles, and techniques that pushed their work in new directions. Offering an unprecedented in-depth look at the work produced by the artists at Asni鑽es, this handsomely illustrated volume includes scholarly essays on each of the artists as well as a map detailing the locations where the artists painted.

Exhibition Schedule:

Art Institute of Chicago
(May 14-September 4, 2023)

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
(October 13, 2023-January 14, 2024)

Author: Bregje Gerritse
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 05/30/2023
Pages: 208
Weight: 2.73lbs
Size: 11.24h x 8.95w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780300269765