dreams and reality

On the last weekend of January, we visited the National Museum to see Dreams & Reality, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and photographs from the Musee d'Orsay. The works were done between 1848 and 1914.

As I walked through the exhibition, I found myself drawn to the works of Claude Monet.

Woman with a Parasol Facing Right (1886) and Regattas at Argenteuil (1872)

I was drawn to the soft palette used in these two paintings. I also loved the movement that was expressed in them. I can't see it, but I can tell Monet did the first painting on a windy day. Just look at the woman's dress, her scarf and the grass too. There's movement in the other painting as well--the sails being blown by the wind and the fluidity of the water. Monet definitely enjoyed relaxing days in France by the looks of these masterpieces.

Another painting I loved was this:

Young Woman On The Beach

It is by Philip Wilson Steer, a British artist. Again, I loved the pastels and the movement in this painting.

There were other outstanding pieces in the exhibition but the one I really looked forward to seeing was this:

Starry Night on the Rhone, 1888-1889

I've always wanted to see a painting by Vincent Van Gogh and this? This is it. I teared up a little when I came face to face with this masterpiece.

Van Gogh was intrigued by the effects of the night on colors and in this painting, he showed the stars, the faint lights of the city and their reflection on the river. When you look closely, you'll see the wide, energetic brush strokes.

I am not an art scholar so I don't know anything about the technical brilliance behind this paintings. All I know is that I was touched by these somehow. They made me reflect about God and how He makes himself known through works of art. How can I not believe in God when human beings such as Monet, Steer and Van Gogh are able to produce works as magnificent as these? Those inspired brush strokes couldn't have been done by man alone.

The paintings also made me reflect on the passage of time. Just imagine, more than a hundred years ago, Van Gogh sat on the bank of the Rhone with his palette, canvas, easel and brush and did something like this. More than a century has passed and yet the feeling of that or those nights that inspired Van Gogh are as real as they were.

Hmmm. I wonder how I'd feel when I finally see the Monalisa.