is pure escapism. It feels as if someone’s opened a window at the Shanghai Museum — or at least pulled back the curtains. All pastoral idylls, stirring seascapes and long afternoon shadows, these key works by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and co show 19th century Europe — predominantly France — in an enchanting light. Yes, there are crowds at the weekend, but a few minutes in front of Renoir’s Sunset in all its coral-pink glory and all that fades away. A little bit, at least. Sunset at Sea, 1879, Pierre-Auguste Renoir Works on show are all on loan from the Francine and Sterling Clark Institute in Massachusetts. Closed for renovation right now — hence the tour — it’s a beautiful museum, with an especially strong collection of French Impressionists, English silver and early photography. Some of that’s now in Shanghai, with paintings charting Impressionism and its precursor, the Barbizon movement, on show in one of the museum’s second floor galleries. Padding that out, there’s also a selection of works highlighting the stylistic diversity of 19th century French art, notably Orientalism, with some stunning, if uncomfortable, pieces by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Geese in the Brook, 1874, Claude Monet The show starts with the Barbizon school, a bunch of young artists who gathered in the French village of that name and turned their attention to the natural world, moving landscapes from a mere backdrop to the main event. Beyond that, their focus was distinctly rural: quaint hamlets, shepherdesses and a lot of geese. The Barbizons paved the way for the Impressionists, who took things a step further with a penchant for painting en plein air, an obsession with natural light, and close observation of the shifting seasons. Going against the Realism and Neo-Classicism that went before, the Impressionists opted for visible brushstrokes to give a sense of immediacy and an unfinished quality. The Doge’s Palace, Venice, 1881, Pierre-Auguste Renoir Water plays a big role, too. A particularly strong group of work places Renoir’s The Doge’s Palace alongside Pissarro's depiction of the River Seine in an invitingly warm light. Capping the section off is Monet’s The Cliffs at Étretat, their myriad colors reflected across a warmly-lit seascape. The Cliffs at Étretat, 1885, Claude Monet Things continue in this vein in the second section, "Tradition and Innovation", which sets out how changes in society, industry and politics impacted art and creativity in 19th-century France beyond its superstar movement, Impressionism. While it could be explained a little better in the gallery blurbs (only introductory panels are bilingual; descriptions of individual works are just in Chinese), once again, the exhibition proffers gem after gem, all rarely seen here in Asia. Case in point: Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Middle Eastern fantasy The Snake Charmer. A group of men lean against a shimmering mosaic of turquoise, transfixed by what looks to be a child, nude apart from an enormous python draped across his shoulders. Uncomfortable, voyeuristic even, it’s nonetheless exquisite, aptly describing the allure of the exotic in 19th-century Europe, and about as anti-Impressionist as you can possibly get. The Snake Charmer, 1870, Jean Léone Gérôme Touching on the same theme rather less seedily is Renoir’s Mademoiselle Fleury in Algerian Costume. Pretty and playful, the work is one of a number of portraits featured in the exhibition that function both as a kind of who’s who of 19th-century patrons of the arts and, in the case of pieces like Portrait of Madame Monet, also by Renoir, a glimpse into the social circles of the painters themselves. A Box at the Theater, 1880, Pierre-Auguste Renoir The Dancing Lesson, 1880, Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas The section also illustrates the leisure pursuits of the bourgeoisie — think Degas’ The Dancing Lesson and Renoir’s A Box at the Theater — as well as artistic depictions of gender roles at the time. For men, that means drinking and smoking; whilst women are mostly presented crocheting or looking wistful. Sometimes both. Woman with Dog, 1891, Pierre Bonnard Marie-Thérèse Durand-Ruel Sewing, 1882, Pierre-Auguste Renoir All in all, it’s really good, and definitely worth a visit or two before the exhibition closes on December 1. While you’re there, do check out a small display up on the museum’s fourth floor of photographs documenting Sterling Clark’s 1908 scientific expedition through China. It’s interesting stuff, nicely rounding out the man, collector and explorer behind a pretty remarkable collection of paintings. Dates, times and locations for the main exhibition here. Francine and Sterling Clark on the opening of their eponymous museum in 1955