Inspiring day at the Grand Rapids Art Museum

The Last Load, Mathias Alten 1935

It was a cold winter day with the sun shining on one of the few days that we see it in the winter here in Michigan. It was my day off work. Laundry needed to be done along with house cleaning. A wondrous thought came to mind…. I really want to see the special exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum entitled: American Impressionism – Paintings from the Phillips Collection. Impressionist use of color is my current area of study and I felt this exhibit would further my studies faster than pounding the books.

As an added bonus: James McNeill Whistler and the Romance of Great Cities Exhibition of Drawings and if that wasn’t enough: Tissot’s London 1871-1882 Art and Culture of City Life Exhibition were also on display!

I was in heaven. I spent the morning really studying and breaking down Tissot’s compositions. It intrigued me to see how the subjects in the paintings were carefully orchestrated to follow axis lines, usually to a common point. In the impressionist exhibit of 54 paintings from collector Duncan Phillips, I was mainly studying the interplay of color. Magazines, photographs, and Internet surfing cannot prepare you for the wondrous interplay of color that these artists used.

Childe Hassam, Theodore Robinson, John Twachtman, J. Alden Weir, William Glackens, Maurice Prendergast paintings were on display for me to view with my nose practically in the paint. The guards were keeping a close eye on me to make sure my nose did not go into the paint! Some of these artists I have not explored before. One particular painting that caught my eye is in the permanent collection of the Grand Rapids Art Museum: William Ritschel – Moonlight on Monterey was a beach scene, which he was noted for, with a rocky foreground with a tree. It was all done in greens, mainly cool viridian greens. I have never seen such a dramatic versatile play of greens to create depth form and interest. This play of mainly tone to create form may not be fully realized in a photograph. I later tried to search out this painting on the internet for further study to no avail. Thankfully, it is in their permanent collection and I can go back to view it at a later date. The trip for me is about a 2-hour ride one way.


Lunch at the museum was a real treat. The view of the children ice skating outside along with the warm greeting from the centerpiece at my table was a perfect backdrop for my very tasty lunch. My right brain was like a computer, processing a plethora of painting possibilities. Some may be coming soon!