WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute presents a free hour-long virtual brown bag lunch talk, Field and Stream, Forest and Studio: Barbizon Artists in the Outdoors, at noon on Thursday, April 29. 

 

The talk explores a number of works from the Clark's collection that showcase the independent spirit and off-the-grid leanings of some of France's most beloved landscape artists.

 

According to a press release, the so-called "Barbizon School" artists were known for their love of nature and their pursuit of outdoor inspiration. When they worked outdoors, they used the most portable traditional media, generally rejecting photography because of the cumbersome equipment involved. The cliché-verre technique, developed in France in 1853, allowed these artists to make photographic imagery without a camera, using the same manual processes used for drawing and etching. 

 

This talk is presented by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, in conjunction with the exhibition "A Change in the Light: The Cliché-Verre in Nineteenth-Century France," on view through May 16. After Leonard's film presentation of a selection of works from the collection, she will join in a live question-and-answer session moderated by Nora Considine, the Clark's digital content editor. 

 

Visit clarkart.edu/events to register for this event, which can be joined on Zoom and Facebook Live. Registrants will receive a link to the talk before the event.