Last week to the big National Gallery exhibition, After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art. That title itself may indicate some of the problems with the show (at least to the mind of the Trees).
Probably originally intended as a follow-up to the 2015 Inventing Impressionism, this new show covers the period roughly from 1886 - and the last of the Impressionist Exhibitions - to the outbreak of the First World War.
And it is annoying.
It presents a rather old-fashioned idea of art-historical development, which has been seriously challenged in recent years. And it leaves out most of the women.
Rather than go on a long rant about it, we at the Trees would direct readers to this rather good Guardian critique of the show, by Eliza Goodpasture.
Elsewhere, of course, the paper has a more friendly review of the exhibition. But for us, the Goodpasture piece broadly says what needs to be said.
And yet. We kind of think you should go and see it if you can.
Ignore the narrative, which as noted is a bit rubbish. But the art is pretty damn good.
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