Irvine Museum's Two-Faced Artist: Granville Redmond

[uniden]

I did this about 3 months ago. Since then, I've visited a lot of other art museums and other things related aesthetics. I'm written about those experiences as well. I'm considering posting the others in the Arts and Entertainment section of this forum. But, I think I'll see how this one goes before I go ahead and do that.

---

My visit to the Irvine Museum, which specializes in art from the Impressionism Era, turned out to be more than a simple art viewing experience. I might have actually managed to get something out of it. Didn't really know what I was getting myself into at first, of course.

It starts where it should, at the beginning of the exhibit. I see quite a lot of nice oil paintings by Granville Redmond. Bright colors with a clear, not hazy, atmosphere. I don't remember that from what from when I studied of impressionism in school. I remember them all as having this hazy quality about them. So, that's cool. Rolling green hills of poppies, lupines, blue skies with mountains off in the distance seemed to be Granville Redmond's game.

I notice this Percy Gray artist in the same area. He's got the hazy impressionism look down. His colors are also much more toned down and darker. Neat.



Heh, I didn't quite expect this start to develop into anything. I mean, it's just a visit to the art museum. Does just once place, one visit by itself really need to develop into something? I was kind of thinking that all these experiences would sort of coalesce into something, perhaps serve as kind of backbone for further study. I'm not complaining, though. I try so hard sometimes... to get past the haziness. Maybe I found something here.

Onto the next section of the exhibit. I found another work typical of what I now expect from Granville. The one beside it, though, quite different. Oak trees in dusk, their mass of leaves like a heavy cloud taking rest at the ground. No bright colors here. Another one of Percy Gray's, perhaps? I take a look at the plaque. Granville Redmond. Wait what?

Nothing at all like what I've seen from him before! The painting didn't have anything that really popped out like on the first group of paintings I saw of Granville's. Darker and... more introspective. It didn't end there.

I found more like it all across the exhibit. Along with those more in keeping with Granville's bright works. What's going on here? Why this sharp dichotomy? Were these two styles of impressionism paintings made at different phases in Granville's life?



Eventually I found biographical information of Granville Redmond hung up on the wall. I read through it. At the end, it noted that though Granville preferred to draw more introspective moody scenery, his patrons preferred his "happy" outdoor compositions. I raised an eyebrow at that. Happy, huh?

I had to get to the bottom of this. I head back to the beginning of the exhibit. I take a look at one of the "happy" paintings.

What do I see?

Another hill of flowers before some mountains. These flowers though... they really popped out of the painting. In fact, they seemed to form this kind of wall. I couldn't really get "into" the painting because of them. Flowers as an obstacle?

Only could see mountains beyond them. They receded far into the background. Dark against the sky. There's a different feel to these mountains. It is like they were in the same place as those moodier, introspective paintings...

Ah, there you are, Granville Redmond.