Floor plan

East wing: The Nineteenth CenturyPost-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), by Georges Seurat, 1887–88
The Large Tree, by Paul Gauguin, 1891
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.”
Lush tall grasses with small white flowers foreground a grove of bushy trees of varying types and heights, their leaves ranging from deep green to golden. Beneath a dense and heavy yellow sky, a small blue triangle suggesting a mountain peak crests above the treeline at far left.
Painting of a placid-looking, light-skinned woman in a maroon dress, seated in a chair with yellow upholstery, hands folded.
A scene in brown and green tones of people dancing indoors. In the foreground, three women stand near boothed tables while a man sits.
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.

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. The Large Tree, by Paul Gauguin, 1891
    The Large TreePaul Gauguin, 1891Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  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

Section 1, south wall

  1. Lush tall grasses with small white flowers foreground a grove of bushy trees of varying types and heights, their leaves ranging from deep green to golden. Beneath a dense and heavy yellow sky, a small blue triangle suggesting a mountain peak crests above the treeline at far left.
    The Poet's GardenVincent van Gogh, 1888Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Painting of a placid-looking, light-skinned woman in a maroon dress, seated in a chair with yellow upholstery, hands folded.
    Madame Cezanne in a Yellow ChairPaul Cézanne, 1888–90Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A scene in brown and green tones of people dancing indoors. In the foreground, three women stand near boothed tables while a man sits.
    Moulin de la GaletteHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1889Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. 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

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of oil on vellum.
    At the Circus: The Bareback Rider (Au Cirque: Écuyère)Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1888Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Heavy daubs of pigment form a crowded scene of roughly defined, finely dressed individuals in a brightly color park along a riverbank.
    Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884"Georges Seurat, 1884Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Symbolic Head, by Odilon Redon, c. 1890
    Symbolic HeadOdilon Redon, c. 1890Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  4. 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

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Vase of TulipsPaul Cézanne, c. 1890Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of reed pen and iron-gall ink on tan laid paper.
    Avenue of Pollard Birches and PoplarsVincent van Gogh, March 1884Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Aman-Jean (Portrait of Edmond François Aman-Jean), by Georges Seurat, 1882–83
    Aman-Jean (Portrait of Edmond François Aman-Jean)Georges Seurat, 1882–83Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. The Card Players, by Paul Cézanne, 1890–92
    The Card PlayersPaul Cézanne, 1890–92Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Impressionist sea landscape, tan houses, blue ocean, distant mountains.
    The Bay of Marseille, Seen from L'EstaquePaul Cézanne, c. 1885Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago