RAMM - Into the Light: French and British painting

Celebrating the re-opening of RAMM and showcasing its state of the art temporary exhibition galleries Into the Light brings together paintings by some of the most famous and instantly recognisable names in art history.

This sumptuous exhibition comprises 54 paintings and drawings from major galleries throughout the UK and includes works by Vanessa Bell, Eugene Boudin, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Walter Sickert, Alfred Sisley, Alexander Stanhope Forbes and Philip Wilson Steer.

The exhibition surveys the production of paintings on both sides of the Channel during this decisive period in the history of European art, revealing connections and allowing a comparison of the artists’ work. It also offers a rare opportunity to consider whether British artists were merely following French innovations or were producing work that was more suited to contemporary British interests and values.

Into the Light illustrates some of the major trends in the practice of painting over this 50 year period. One of the most significant was artists’ investigations into the representation of light.

New developments in the materials and implements the artist used and the way they could transport them allowed them to develop new approaches and techniques. As this exhibition shows, the result offered a more spontaneous response to place and stunning depictions of the shifting of light over the landscape, which often challenged academic standards.

Into the Light is curated by Sam Smiles, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Plymouth University and Tate Research Fellow, who lives in the city of Exeter. The exhibition is organised by RAMM and tours to Compton Verney 31 March to 10 June 2012. It is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue, published by Sansom and Co.

The photograph show within this website entry is copyrighted and depicts
St Tropez by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) (c) Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham 2011