Le Jardin Provincal c. 1920

Curator: Standing before us is Armand Guillaumin’s “Le Jardin Provincial,” painted circa 1920. It’s currently housed here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: It strikes me immediately as an incredibly dense composition. The eye bounces from one vibrant patch of color to the next, almost restlessly. Curator: Yes, and note the medium; Guillaumin rendered this en plein air using oil on canvas, a favored technique of the Impressionists. What's fascinating is how he departs from strict Impressionist principles despite that foundational connection. Editor: How so? It seems pretty true to the general landscape conventions. Curator: While Impressionism aimed to capture fleeting moments of light and atmosphere, “Le Jardin Provincial” possesses a certain solidity, a tangible sense of place. Notice how the paint is applied, thickly and deliberately? It's almost sculptural in places, especially within the trees. We can consider the impact of this on the viewers that encounter his paintings and what they might be consuming through the process of looking. Editor: You’re right, there’s definitely a robust quality to the materiality. It doesn't prioritize capturing momentary impressions but, rather, presents a sustained engagement with the physicality of the garden itself. He must have built the landscape in layers over time. How do you think a painting like this fit within the Parisian art world and art institutions of the period? Curator: Well, Guillaumin's work gained renewed appreciation during the post-impressionist movement. Though he helped found the Impressionist movement with his contemporaries like Monet and Pissarro, we see "Le Jardin Provincial" and understand it reflects his departure, influenced perhaps by his personal history and his individual negotiation of painting as an expressive tool. What really is Guillaumin’s role in all of this? What institutions propped his influence up? What socioeconomic status allowed him access? Editor: His influence may have shifted over time based on many forces. He seems interested in process; with visible brushstrokes of many shapes, sizes and directions that all accumulate in visual perception as a natural scene, even though up close the technique seems pretty unnaturalistic. That juxtaposition is compelling to unpack, even today. Curator: Exactly. It makes this feel like a study in artistic interpretation, not a strict duplication.