Floor plan

East wing: The Nineteenth CenturyPost-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), by Georges Seurat, 1887–88
A work made of pastel and graphite on cream wove paper.
Painted in muted lime green, plum purple, buttercup yellow, slate and royal blue, the head and shoulders of a man with peach-colored skin sitting in front of a window looks at us in this stylized, vertical portrait. His body and face are angled to our right but he looks at us from the corners of his eyes, which are grass-green with touches of yellow. One cobalt-blue eyebrow is cocked, and shading in denim blue, butter yellow, and fern green create hollows under both eyes. His flat nose has a broad bridge, and his pale pink lips are closed, the far corner pulled slightly up. His mustache is painted with visible strokes of forest green and his ginger-orange beard is trimmed along his prominent, jutting chin. His short, dark hair is brushed back from his temples and is painted with strokes of pine green, navy blue, and coral orange. His shirt has a wide, golden yellow stripe along the collar above indigo blue, under a grayish-violet purple jacket. The wall over his shoulder, in the upper left corner, is painted vivid lime green with long, vertical brushstrokes. The view through the window beyond his other shoulder is of vegetation and mountains. The portrait is painted with visible brushstrokes throughout, and is especially loose in the background, hair, and jacket. An inscription in dark green script in the upper left reads, “a l'ami Carriere PGauguin.” A second inscription in the lower left is written with dark brown paint: “l'ami Laval PGo.”
At the Circus: The Spanish Walk (Au Cirque: Le Pas espagnol), by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1899
Two Poplars in the Alpilles near Saint-Rémy, by Vincent van Gogh, 1889
Painting of a performance inside a circus ring. A man wearing a suit holds a whip in his hand and looks towards a woman with red hair riding a gray horse and wearing a green dress. Audience members wearing suits and top hats watch from red and white benches on the side.
Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte", by Georges Seurat, 1884

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Artists who kept Impressionism's colour but pushed towards structure, symbol and feeling.

Section 1, north wall

  1. Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), by Georges Seurat, 1887–88
    Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque)Georges Seurat, 1887–88Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of pastel and graphite on cream wove paper.
    At the Circus: Trained Pony and BaboonHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1899Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Painted in muted lime green, plum purple, buttercup yellow, slate and royal blue, the head and shoulders of a man with peach-colored skin sitting in front of a window looks at us in this stylized, vertical portrait. His body and face are angled to our right but he looks at us from the corners of his eyes, which are grass-green with touches of yellow. One cobalt-blue eyebrow is cocked, and shading in denim blue, butter yellow, and fern green create hollows under both eyes. His flat nose has a broad bridge, and his pale pink lips are closed, the far corner pulled slightly up. His mustache is painted with visible strokes of forest green and his ginger-orange beard is trimmed along his prominent, jutting chin. His short, dark hair is brushed back from his temples and is painted with strokes of pine green, navy blue, and coral orange. His shirt has a wide, golden yellow stripe along the collar above indigo blue, under a grayish-violet purple jacket. The wall over his shoulder, in the upper left corner, is painted vivid lime green with long, vertical brushstrokes. The view through the window beyond his other shoulder is of vegetation and mountains. The portrait is painted with visible brushstrokes throughout, and is especially loose in the background, hair, and jacket. An inscription in dark green script in the upper left reads, “a l'ami Carriere PGauguin.” A second inscription in the lower left is written with dark brown paint: “l'ami Laval PGo.”
    Self-Portrait Dedicated to CarrièrePaul Gauguin, 1888 or 1889Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. At the Circus: The Spanish Walk (Au Cirque: Le Pas espagnol), by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1899
    At the Circus: The Spanish Walk (Au Cirque: Le Pas espagnol)Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1899Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Two Poplars in the Alpilles near Saint-Rémy, by Vincent van Gogh, 1889
    Two Poplars in the Alpilles near Saint-RémyVincent van Gogh, 1889Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Painting of a performance inside a circus ring. A man wearing a suit holds a whip in his hand and looks towards a woman with red hair riding a gray horse and wearing a green dress. Audience members wearing suits and top hats watch from red and white benches on the side.
    Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1887–88Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte", by Georges Seurat, 1884
    Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte"Georges Seurat, 1884Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. The Large Tree, by Paul Gauguin, 1891
    The Large TreePaul Gauguin, 1891Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Still-Life with a Watermelon and Pomegranates, by Paul Cézanne, 1900–1906
    Still-Life with a Watermelon and PomegranatesPaul Cézanne, 1900–1906Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Corridor in the Asylum, by Vincent van Gogh, September 1889
    Corridor in the AsylumVincent van Gogh, September 1889Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), by Vincent van Gogh, 1887
    Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler)Vincent van Gogh, 1887Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Monsieur Boileau at the Café, by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1893
    Monsieur Boileau at the CaféHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1893Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of color lithograph on ivory laid paper.
    BathersPaul Cézanne, 1890–1900Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    Final Study for "Bathers at Asnières"Georges Seurat, 1883Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of transfer drawing in brownish-black ink (recto); graphite and blue crayon pencil with brush and solvent washes in ocher on cream wove paper.
    Woman with a CatPaul Gauguin, c. 1900Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The image shows two women walking arm in arm, both in traditional attire. One woman is facing away with a slight profile, while the other is seen from the side. Their faces are stylized and simplistic with covered hair. They wear long dresses with aprons and collars, and one has a striped apron. Haystacks and greenery surround them. Faint figures are in the background, as well as a spire-like structure. A dog is seen near the haystack, with simple lines suggesting a landscape.
    Pleasures of Brittany (Joies de Bretagne)Paul Gauguin, 1889Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington