Winnipeg Art Gallery - Viewing the Masters

What I like about Winnipeg is how easy it is to access downtown. It has one of the best road systems I've ever used. Luckily our hotel was located on one of the many that slid into the centre and back out again with as little disruption as possible. Yeah! Not having to sit in blocked or slow traffic for what seems like eons is a big plus for this city.

Walking through downtown Winnipeg is pleasant, it has the beautiful Memorial Provincial Park and fountains in front of the impressive Manitoba provincial legislature building (seen above). There's other interesting architecture including the law courts, but my main point of interest is Winnipeg Art Gallery or the WAG as it likes to refer to itself.

The WAG is a wonderful gallery with multiple floors to casually walk through including a rooftop of fabulous sculptures made of various metals and interesting concepts. I've attached a photograph from inside one of them.

My main interest was the 100 Masters Exhibit and I wasn't disappointed. The 100 Masters Exhibit is a collection of work from some of the best artists the world knows. Pieces from each painter are brought together for you to view and compare their exemplary work. The difference in design, material, brush strokes, paint and technique are segued into the best display I have ever seen. The display is awe inspiring from start to finish and fascinating by the information on each piece. I have no idea how long I spent in these climate controlled rooms as every painting is mesmerizing. The thought of the time and ability it took to make them is amazing. I am still astounded by the brilliance of the masters and they are truly that - the masters.

Outside of these rooms is an area to view the masters artwork on a touch screen table. With the ability to zoom in on sections you can see even more of the detail that went into these paintings. I have attached a painting by Cornelius David Kriefghoff, the minutiae in this picture made me gasp when I stood in front of it.

The WAG provides other sources of amusement for you in this area, gifts to purchase and for the child or those still holding onto that inner child, portraits to stand behind and have your picture taken. A step into the past that made me laugh when I saw the photograph. I don't think the prude look is very fetching for me, I asked by husband "does this dress makes me look fat?"  Continuing with the humour, I've attached it so you can have a laugh out loud moment.

The WAG is a wonderful place to go to, not only for the cultural aspect, education, and awe of it but because it brings to us the great gifts given by these brilliant people. They produced something that many of us could never achieve and the WAG lets us step briefly into their lives at a time when they were in the midst of painting them. Below is Autumn Bon Echo by Arthur Lismer (I've visited Bon Echo Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada several times in the Fall and it truly is stunning.)

I was shocked to learn that Renoir's painting "Le Concert" was done with the paintbrush strapped to his wrist because he was crippled with arthritis. It shows the extent of his talent to be able to create such beauty through so much pain and paralysis. The painting is shown below from the table I talked of earlier, Please excuse the angle the photograph was taken at, it is not my best but it still displays my point.

Although the 100 Masters exhibit has gone, the WAG always has excellent exhibitions going on, at present it includes MAWA - Celebrating 30 Year of Women's Art, Lake Land Sky by Kirsten Britt Hansen and European Renaissance that has been on going since 2010 and finishes in 2016. There are several others too to hold your interest. The WAG is a definite list topper for those that love art or for those that appreciate talent and insightfulness.