Come join us in Paris this spring and refresh your creative palate with the masters of impressionist painting! During this one-week program, we will study the main characteristics of impressionist painting at its zenith, during the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. We will explore how it speaks to our emotions, understand why it was so innovative and how it changed the course of art history. Renoir, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Sisley, Degas and Caillebotte all lived in Paris. They painted a great deal outdoors, in the city and in the surrounding suburbs of Paris, which were then countryside villages. We will follow in their footsteps and explore some of the locations where they set their easels. Our main focus in Paris will be the Gare Saint-Lazare and Montmartre neighborhoods. As we walk through these areas, we will analyze the architecture and discover how some places appear not to have been touched by time. In the suburbs we will explore Chatou, Louveciennes, and Marly-le-Roi, following trails that take us to various venues captured in famous paintings. To round off our exploration of the Parisian suburbs, we will travel to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Cézanne and Pissarro preceded Van Gogh.
Museum visits will include Musée d'Orsay, (the "temple" of impressionist paintings), Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée Marmottan, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Art, and the Musée de Montmartre, where these artists are exhibited today.
Tuition includes: Double-occupancy hotel accommodations, daily Continental breakfast, welcome and farewell dinners, guided tours and museum admissions, as well as transportation for day trips and within Paris.
Activity Level: moderate to vigorous (13-15 on the RPE Scale)