We love the Tate for its immense Turner collection, Kunsthistorisches Museum for its delicious Bruegel, The National Gallery for its fantastic Copley, Cortona's Museo Diocesano for Fra Angelico, and all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Firenze's gli Uffizi -- but Paris' Musée d'Orsay is one of our favorites for the heavy hitters of the French schools.
Aside from the sumptuous Manet, Monet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh (we love the blue crispness in Paul Cézanne's La femme à la cafetière and Gustave Courbet's fleshy The Origin of the World [NSFW]), we always say hello to the portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's wife, Nadezhda, by F. Xavier Winterhalter (image above -- currently in Russia at the Pushkin Museum for an “Inspiration Dior” special event) and Gustave Courbet's 1850 portrait of Hector Berlioz, especially for the backstory:
It was through mediations of Francis Wey, a great friend of Berlioz, that the musician agreed to sit for a portrait at Courbet's studio in 1850. Courbet must have been delighted at such an opportunity. Berlioz, then aged about forty-five years old, was an important figure on the artistic scene, and was a good friend of Victor Hugo, whom Courbet admired.
However, the meeting was not a success. Berlioz was a secretive man, easily offended. Courbet, on the other hand, prided himself on his musical ability, and took advantage of the composer's presence to demonstrate his talents as a singer. "During the sittings", recounted Georges Kial, "[Courbet] took it into his head to sing his songs, "tuneless laments" […] and to offer them as examples of popular music. At first Berlioz thought it was a joke; then, realising that to Courbet it was nothing of the sort, he took him for an idiot". We do not know if it was his annoyance over this that caused Berlioz to refuse the portrait once it was finished.
So cranky! Another lol goes to Courbet's "Protestant minister" portrait of Richard Wagner where you can almost smell him through the canvas.
Quite lovely! I used to haunt the Art Institute of Chicago every Sunday when I was a kid--it was free--and made friends with so many lovely paintings. So many French Impressionists of the first class! Cheers! Mrs. Potter Palmer!
Posted by: Bill Philin-Ploplis | April 30, 2011 at 07:34 PM
The Winterhalter is breathtaking, actually. Sincerest thanks.
Posted by: Ken | April 30, 2011 at 11:52 PM
As a music lover and life-long haunter of museums I did not know the story of Berlioz rejecting the Courbet portrait, which adorns the cover of my copy of Berlioz’ ‘Memoirs’ which I immediately purchased, along with the ‘Letters’ after a quasi-religious experience hearing for the first time at a concert the Overture to LES FRANCS-JUGES conducted by Colin Davis (who wasn’t even a “Sir” then). The ‘Memoirs’, published in 1966, over 500 pages, is priced @ $4.00!!! Merde, je suis vieux.
Posted by: Oroveso | May 01, 2011 at 12:39 AM
...you should lecture at museums sometimes OC... I was amused with your stories alot...I think you will have a great success when you start your enlightenment/educational lessons ;)
Posted by: Alexander | May 01, 2011 at 01:38 AM
With all due respect to OC's cultural erudition, the lady painted by Winterhalter, countess Barbara Dmitrievna Rimsky-Korsakova, née Mergasova (1834-1879) has never been married to the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, nor was named Nadezhda. She was married to the composer's namesake Nikolai Sergeevich Rimsky-Korsakov in 1850, when the composer was just 6 years old. She was also a prototype of Lidi Korsinski, one of the characters from Anna Karenina.
Posted by: Jeanne | May 01, 2011 at 05:54 AM
Please allow me to make a correction: That portrait of Wagner is by Renoir, not Courbet.
Posted by: Peter | May 01, 2011 at 03:12 PM
It shows good breeding to inform a person of a mistake privately and allow him or her to apologize to the public and make the corrections.
Posted by: Bill Philin-Ploplis | May 01, 2011 at 05:09 PM
I apologize. I didn't realize private correspondence was an option here.
Posted by: Peter | May 02, 2011 at 03:08 AM
...this portrait of madame Barbra is reminiscent of Thomas Gainsborough "Portrait of duchess de Beaufort ( supposedly)" ... I saw some like pictures at some museums... as to this blog note - it is reminiscent of "Scheherazade"...so exquisite to ears...
thanks to all who commented on the subject ( including Miss Chici of course ;)
Posted by: Alexander | May 02, 2011 at 02:03 PM