For Immediate Release
April 21, 2021
CLARK ART INSTITUTE Presents Free Virtual Talk on Barbizon Artists
Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute presents a free hour-long virtual brown bag lunch talk, Field and Stream, Forest and Studio: Barbizon Artists in the Outdoors, at noon on Thursday, April 29. The talk explores a number of works from the Clark’s collection that showcase the independent spirit and off-the-grid leanings of some of France’s most beloved landscape artists.
The so-called “Barbizon School” artists were known for their love of nature and their pursuit of outdoor inspiration. When they worked outdoors, they used the most portable traditional media, generally rejecting photography because of the cumbersome equipment involved. The cliché-verre technique, developed in France in 1853, allowed these artists to make photographic imagery without a camera, using the same manual processes used for drawing and etching.
This talk is presented by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, in conjunction with the exhibition A Change in the Light: The Cliché-Verre in Nineteenth-Century France, on view through May 16. After Leonard’s film presentation of a selection of works from the collection, she will join in a live question-and-answer session moderated by Nora Considine, the Clark’s digital content editor.
A Change in the Light highlights the practice of cliché-verre, a hybrid process developed in the mid-nineteenth century, combining the techniques of the graphic arts—namely drawing and printmaking—with those of the new medium of photography. The exhibition features forty-four prints by five French artists and demonstrate daring formal and stylistic experimentation. Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel, with additional support from the Troob Family Foundation.
Visit clarkart.edu/events to register for this event, which can be joined on Zoom and Facebook Live. Registrants will receive a link to the talk before the event.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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