February 23, 2005—The Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) presents The Splendor of Ruins in French Landscape Painting, 1630-1800, which will be on view from March 19 - June 19, 2005. After the AMAM showing, the exhibition will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from July 17 - October 16, 2005.

Conceived and organized by Dr. Stephen D. Borys, curator of western art at the AMAM, the exhibition includes 36 paintings by 18 French artists. Important works have been lent by 24 American and Canadian museums, including the National Gallery of Art (Washington), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto).

The Splendor of Ruins explores various interpretations of the ruin as envisaged by French painters of the 17th and 18th centuries. The ruin is shown in varied forms and styles, its presence sometimes subdued in the landscape, and at other times as the highlight of the composition. It is defined by architectural orders and artistic caprice, but rarely is it ever limited by the sources and motifs that inspired its creation in the painting as evidenced by the paintings in the exhibition.  

The exhibition spans the careers of Claude Lorrain from the 1630s and Hubert Robert at the close of the 18th century, both of whom had an enormous influence on the development of the architectural landscape. Within the almost two centuries covered in the exhibition, the depiction of the ruin in French painting experienced a complete cycle of intellectual and physical transformation.  

AMAM Director, Dr. Stephanie Wiles writes: "It is a wonderful opportunity for the Allen Memorial Art Museum to host The Splendor of Ruins and to bring together this lively and beautiful group of paintings."

Organizing curator Dr. Stephen Borys notes: "Much of what we understand about the classical ruins is determined by the way they were documented by artists and presented to us as viewers. For artists and patrons, these structures evoked the triumphs and mystery of ancient worlds, the glories of mythology and biblical narratives, archaeological discoveries, as well as the familiar images of the Grand Tour."  

An illustrated catalogue written by Dr. Borys, assisted by Oberlin College senior students, with additional essays by Alan Wintermute and T. Barton Thurber, accompanies the exhibition. Extensive public programming is planned for the presentation, including a lecture series, symposium, recital series, and activities for children of all ages.

The exhibition and catalogue have been made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Ohio Humanities Council, Ohio Art Council, along with generous support from Mr. John N. Stern (Oberlin College Class of 1939) and the AMAM's Friends of Art Fund.

A complimentary exhibition, Surveying the Ruin: The Architectural Landscape on Paper, organized by Oberlin College senior student Alexander Grogan, is also on view at the AMAM from March 3 to June 1, 2005. The exhibition, comprising more than 80 works of art, features the depiction of ruins in prints, drawings and photographs by European and American artists.

Exhibition Related Public Programs:
Opening Reception

March 19, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., East Gallery

Lecture Series
April 14, 5:00 p.m.

Edgar Peters Bowron, Audrey Jones Beck Curator of European Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, "The Ghosts of Old Rome: Classical Ruins and the Grand Tour"

Art Building, Classroom I

(Sponsored by the Department of Art's Baldwin lecture fund)

April 21, 5:00 p.m.

T. Barton Thurber, Curator of European Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, "Claude and Architecture: Sources, Contexts, Meanings"

Art Building, Classroom I

(Co-sponsored by the AMAM and Department of Art's Chloe H. Young Lectureship fund)

May 5, 5:00 p.m.                   

Claire Lyons, Collections Curator, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, "Marble Wilderness: Greek Landscapes in Myth and Art"

Art Building, Classroom 1

(Sponsored by the Department of Art's Baldwin lecture fund)

Symposium
Saturday, April 16, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The AMAM symposium on The Splendor of Ruins features Oberlin College faculty and students from several departments and disciplines. This event, which is free to the public, will explore the culture of the era, helping modern audiences understand the lives and times of the people who first viewed the works, and will bring diverse perspectives to the paintings, the landscapes and the ruins they portray. The opportunity to move from the discussion table to the exhibition space will enable ideas and perspectives addressed at the symposium to be applied and challenged.

Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies

Concerts: The Splendor of Music
March 19, 2:00 p.m.

Professor of Harpsichord Lisa Goode Crawford will present a recital of 18th-century French harpsichord music.

Curator's Tour with Stephen D. Borys precedes the concert at 1:00 pm.

April 9, 2:00 p.m.

Visiting artist Skip Sempe (OC '80), founder of Capriccio Stravagante, will perform a selection of 17th-century Frernch harpsichord music.

April 23, 2:00 p.m.

Student ensembles from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music's Historical Performance Program will perform cantatas by Montéclair, a trio by Dornel, and harpsichord music of François Couperin.

Curator's Tour with Stephen D. Borys precedes the concert at 1:00 pm.

May 7, 2:00 p.m.

The Oberlin Baroque Ensemble (Catharina Meints,viola da gamba and baroque cello; Michael Lynn, traverso; Alison Melville, recorder and traverso; and Lisa Goode Crawford, harpsichord) will perform François Couperin's L'Apothéose de Lulli, a Marais suite for viola da gamba and continuo, a Philador sonata for recorder and continuo, and a Leclair flute sonata.

The Allen Memorial Art Museum, on the campus of Oberlin College, is located at the intersection of State Routes 511 and 38 in downtown Oberlin. Admission and parking are free. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5, and Sundat from 1 to 5 (closed Mondays and major holidays. For more information, visit our web site or call 440.775.8665.