James Tissot, The Prodigal Son: The Return, 1881, etching. Purchase, George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund (23-026.4)
Exhibitions
Modernity and Morality: Tissot's The Prodigal Son
Frances K. Smith Gallery
4 October - 15 February
French-born artist James Tissot (1836-1902) established himself in London following the Paris Commune of 1871, and there developed a psychologically sophisticated art that, while remaining within the stylistic conventions of Victorian painting, explored prevailing issues of class and gender that place him squarely as an innovator among his English contemporaries. Tissot was also one of the leading etchers of his generation, and in his series The Prodigal Son, he transforms its biblical characters into fashionable British industrialists, juxtaposing tradition and modernity to restage his narrative as a contemporary moral fable. With settings such as a wealthy businessman's office (The Departure), a glamorous Japanese teahouse (In Foreign Climes) or the London dockyards (The Return), Tissot's modernist interpretation enabled Victorian viewers to identify with his subject both as individuals and within the fabric of their society.
The Art Centre is fortunate to own a complete set of The Prodigal Son suite, and exhibits it here, accompanied by a selection of comparative works, also from the collection, including contemporary prints by Whistler and Haden, and Japanese woodblocks that influenced their work, to evoke the context for Tissot's etchings and the late 19th century's vision of progress and its deep commitment to representing the present.
This exhibition was curated by Ana Joel Falcon, an M.A. candidate in Art History at Queen's University, as part of her Practicum under the supervision of Janet M. Brooke.