“Put your hand in mine, and let us help one another observe ever more closely.”
— Claude Monet to Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France
Edvard Munch, The Sun. 1910-13 Oil on canvas 162 x 205 cm. (Collection of the Munch Museum, Oslo. Image courtesy of Munch Museum.)
Mysticism: the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)
Vincent Van Gogh, The Starry Night over the Rhone at Arles, 1888, Oil on canvas, 73 x 92 cm, Collection of Musee d’Orsay (Image courtesy of he Musee d’Orsay/Bridgeman Images)
Organized in partnership with the renowned Musée d’Orsay in Paris, The Art Gallery of Ontario presents a breath-taking special exhibit, Mystical Landscapes. With select artworks representative of the mystical experiences of nearly 40 artists including Emily Carr, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch and Georgia O’Keeffe, visitors will discover pieces which rarely leave their home museums.
Claude Monet: Water Lilies (Nymphéas) 1907. 80.98 x 92.07 Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Gift of Mrs. Harry C. Hanszen. Courtesy Bridgeman Images. )
The Canadian artist Lawren S. Harris said: “I am trying to get up to the summit of my soul, and work there—there where the universe sings.” Harris’ pieces seen alongside Vincent van Gogh‘s Starry Night over the Rhone at Arles, Claude Monet‘s Water Lilies (Nymphéas) and Edvard Munch‘s The Sun all share one thing in common—works that were trying to get to the heart of mysticism and the spiritual truths that each artist found in their surroundings.
It’s a truly awe inspiring exhibition, contemplative in its breadth and depth. The AGO also employed special lighting which works to highlight specific pieces, lending the images an even more sublime essence.
Complete your Mystical Landscapes experience with lunch or dinner at AGO’s restaurant FRANK, featuring a special French-inspired three course prix-fixe menu inspired by the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. If you’re a carnivore, be sure to try the beef bourguignon, with melt-in-your-mouth stout-braised beef cheek, maple roasted carrots and perfect aligot potatoes. Mix it all up with the house mostarda and chives and you have a dish to further delight the senses.
The AGO’s Mystical Landscapes runs now through January, 29, 2017. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit: www.ago.net
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