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KPBS Midday Edition

Two Chances To See Monet Paintings This Fall In Balboa Park

Claude Monet's "Haystacks at Chailly," painted in 1865.
San Diego Museum of Art
Claude Monet's "Haystacks at Chailly," painted in 1865.
Two Chances To See Monet Paintings This Fall In Balboa Park
Two Chances To See Monet Paintings This Fall In Balboa Park GUESTS: Derrick Cartwright, director of curatorial affairs, Timken Museum of Art Ariel Plotek, modern and contemporary art curator, San Diego Museum of Art

His painting gave a name to the Impressionist movement and has lifespan the beginning of modern art. 19th century French painter, Clyde Bonnet's works, celebrated in museums around the world in this fall celebrated in Balboa Park. Two exhibits one at the Timken Museum of Art get her the San Diego Museum of Art, will show five of his nature pages including one of his frequent painted observations of water lilies. Maureen Cavanaugh easily spoke to Ariel Plotek, modern and contemporary art curator of the San Diego Museum of Art of Art and Derrick Cartwright, Director of curatorial affairs at the Timken Museum of Art.I imagine there many people who think of Monet as the French Impressionist. Which made him such an enduring painter.On the one hand as you mentioned already, he is responsible for the Impressionists earning this name, which was not used in a very flattering sense in the first place, by critically so he considered to be Dobbs of paint on a canvas and entitled one of his paintings impression summarize but Monet lived long enough to see the taste in modern art become something quite radical that would transform even the academic style of which the Impressionist had positioned themselves. By the end of his life, living in his famous garden in Normandy, Monet -- is studio have become a place of pill rich not only for French artists but Americans too.One of these two exhibits come about at the same time?By chance to be honest. We are thrilled San Diego has this opportunity to see this great artist work. They are two different exhibitions. I think when people come to the Timken Museum of Art they will see these great early experiments and vision and paintings he did in a little village he did on the French coast. We group those paintings together with a drawing by money and several contemporary works or later works that show the ongoing interest in the site. The San Diego Museum of Art art has taken a very different approach which is nice for visitors to these museums. They will be able to look at different phases in his career.This rather small installation the San Diego Museum of Art offers is a mini survey of the artist's career beginning with early paintings in our permanent collection and by way of a painting of the Normandy coast not too far from him. This later painting a view of the waterlily pond, the three Lotief's haystacks, the Normandy coast and the garden he returns to time and again. What we are able to do extra to the San Diego Museum of Art is actually spend more time with one of those motifs and see how Monet returns to the same thing at different times of year different atmospheric conditions he captures in this radical way.You will also have music from the San Diego Symphony accompanying the exhibit at the Timken Museum of Art. What pieces have you selected and what does that add to the exhibit?I did not select the work although we had a dialogue with the San Diego Symphony. This is an ongoing collaboration to create what we call soundscape to go with the temporary exhibitions that take place. I think he makes the point in the text he created to go with the soundscape that these pieces of music we present a moment when artists were very close to the painters blocking to that particular locale. Really lucky we can increase the enjoyment of these pictures by bringing in the soundscape.The music he may have been listening to as he created some of these work.That is right. He was a sophisticated man even though he was living in the country at this point. He knew a lot about what was going on in Paris. Completely up today. A new -- he knew the work in the music seems like a perfect complement.I'm wondering how you think these two exhibits complement each other. Is there a painting they should see first.They say see the haystacks to get the early glimpse of see his progress to the later still lives in the garden which he is reflecting on this reflecting pond and what it brings. That would be a nice, overarching narrative to bring to this. These exhibitions offer the opportunity to look quickly if you want to. I think we are happy the Metropolitan Museum of Art led two of their finest works to the Timken the Denver Art Museum generous in letting their view of waterless. It's a great bonus for San Diego that they can come see these work.Her and Kevin speaking with Timken Museum of Art curator Derrick Cartwright. The exhibit runs through December 31 and the San Diego Museum of Art exhibit runs through January 30th.

His paintings gave a name to the Impressionist movement and his life spanned to the beginnings of modern art. The 19th Century French painter Claude Monet's works are celebrated in museums around the world, and this fall they will be celebrated in Balboa Park.

Two mini-exhibits, one at the Timken Museum of Art, the other at the San Diego Museum of Art, will show five of Monet's nature paintings, including one of his frequently painted observations of water lilies and what is believed to be the first of his famed series of haystack paintings.

"The two shows really will complement each other. The Timken has paintings that are closely related to one another," Ariel Plotek, San Diego Museum of Art modern and contemporary art curator, said. "You have a selection of Monet painting the same type of scene there and in our case, a very concise overview. There, you can observe the nuanced return to the same motif, time and again."

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The Timken's exhibit runs through Dec. 31; the San Diego Museum of Art's runs through Jan. 21.

Plotek and Timken Museum of Art director of curatorial affairs Derrick Cartwright joined KPBS Midday Edition on Monday to discuss the significance of Monet's painting series and the Timken's choice of music to complement the exhibit.