Fantaisie française: nineteenth-century prints from the Vanderryn collection

Abstract

Creative energy burst forth from printmakers' studios in France during the second half of the nineteenth century, as artists explored a range of stylistic impulses while pushing their chosen medium in new directions. 'Fantaisie Française: Prints from the Vanderryn Collection' presents work by artists such as Rodolphe Bresdin, Félix Hilaire Buhot, Odilon Redon, and Félix Vallotton, each of whom expanded the possibilities of the original print. Together, the works selected for the exhibition memorialize exchanges between visual artists and literary figures and present dynamic artistic reflections on a changing modern age. Whether focused on the changing conditions of urban life or constructing nostalgic views of the countryside (replete with atmospheric details) these artists approached their intaglio, relief, and planographic work with both technical acumen and imaginative zeal, creating multiples by which they distinguished themselves at home and abroad.