Art Gallery Of Ontario

The Open Door, around 1913, oil on canvas, Lent by Samuel & Esther Sarick. First, a moment to discuss the painting techniques which are hallmarks of these impressionist works that will be described in this exhibition. Impressionism is an art movement that was first named in France in the 1870s. Artists took their subject matter from contemporary life, and instead of using a highly realistic style of painting, artists created an ‘impression’ of what they saw through light and colour. In each of the audio described paintings the directionality of light is evident. The artists' techniques vary but can include thick layers of paint, visible brushstrokes such as cross hatching and the layering of colours. This work is 76 by 63 cm and in portrait orientation. The work is framed by a gold-coloured wood frame which is 8 cm wide and embellished with ornate carved curlicues. In The Open Door, a vibrantly painted thicket, viewed through a door which sits opened, takes up much of the left half of the painting. A