WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mary Weaver Chapin, curator of prints and drawings at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, will present a special talk on the print portfolios of key leaders of the Nabis artistic movement, who played a central role in the late nineteenth-century transition from Impressionism to early modernism. 

 

Her talk, "Intimate Color: The Print Portfolios of Bonnard, Vuillard, and Denis, 1899," will be broadcast live via Zoom and Facebook Live on Sunday, March 6, at 2 pm.

 

Chapin's lecture marks the final day of the Clark's presentation of Hue & Cry: French Printmaking and the Debate Over Colors. 

 

In 1899, art dealer and print enthusiast Ambroise Vollard published lithographic suites by Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, and Maurice Denis. Each album consisted of twelve lithographs plus a cover, and each was issued in an edition of 100. In contrast to scenes of nightlife by Toulouse-Lautrec or the public posters of Jules Chéret, these artists used color lithography to explore the private interior, family life, and intimate glimpses of the city. Ranging from deep, saturated color to the faintest whisper of ink on paper, the Vollard albums demonstrate the wide range of tone that artists used to evoke emotion and subjective responses in the viewer and are generally considered to be among the finest examples of color lithography from the period. Hue & Cry features a remarkable presentation of the complete portfolios of work made by each of the three artists.

 

Exploring the surprising but steady opposition to printed color in nineteenth-century France, "Hue & Cry" also showcases the Clark's holdings of French color prints by artists including Mary Cassatt, Paul Cézanne, Jules Chéret, Camille Pissarro, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

 

Advance registration is required to view the Zoom transmission. Registrants will receive an email with a private Zoom link before the event. The event will also be broadcast via Facebook Live. For more information and to register, visit clarkart.edu/events.

 

"Hue & Cry: French Printmaking and the Debate over Colors" is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel. The exhibition is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.