The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900

February 11 – June 13, 2010

Eugène Carrière, Sleep, 1897, Lithograph. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Paris reigned as the city of light and Impressionism captured the bustle of its lively streets and cafés. But there is another dimension to the period, one captured by less well known, sometimes enigmatic, and often melancholy imagery.

This was the art of collectors who kept prints, drawings, and small sculptures under wraps, compiled in albums and portfolios or stored away in cabinets. While often unsuitable for more public display, such works were avidly collected and viewed discreetly on chosen occasions.

Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Darker Side of Light reveals the private worlds of late nineteenth-century Europe through prints and other works meant for quiet contemplation.

The exhibition presents over one hundred prints, drawings, illustrated books, and small sculptures by artists such as Félix Bracquemond, James Ensor, Max Klinger, Käthe Kollwitz, James McNeill Whistler, Charles Meryon, and Anders Zorn, among others.

Within the intimate setting of the Smart Museum's galleries, The Darker Side of Light evokes shadowed interiors and private introspections to tell a far less familiar story of late nineteenth-century art.