The monumental canvas Waterlilies by Claude Monet is perhaps the most treasured painting in the Portland Art Museum’s collection. Now, after over 65 years, it will finally look much as the artist intended—without varnish. The detailed process of conservation resulted in new color harmonies and brightness. To celebrate the restoration of the painting and the campus transformation project, this beloved icon will be presented in its historical context in the exhibition Monet’s Floating Worlds at Giverny. Monet and his fellow Impressionists were obsessed with Japanese “floating world” prints that had only been available in Europe and the United States for a few decades, yet transformed the way artists looked at the world. They introduced new concepts of beauty and new ways of seeing the world that decentered the European tradition.
Join us for an exploration of Monet’s beloved painting alongside the Japanese woodblock prints that so influenced Monet and his French and American contemporaries. Visit the exhibition. Make Waterlilies ink designs on silk scarves and create Sixteen Perspectives booklets, inspired by Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, in workshops led by Teacher Advisory Council members. Enjoy a presentation and discussion with Mary Weaver Chapin, Ph.D., Curator of Prints and Drawings.
- 5:15 – 5:50 pm Visit Monet’s Floating Worlds, Main Museum, 1st Floor
- 5:15 – 6:15 pm Drop in art workshops, Fields Ballroom, Mark Building
- 6:15 – 7:30 pm Presentation and discussion, Fields Ballroom, Mark Building
Admission is free. Registration requested. Light refreshments provided. PDU credits available.