04/12/23 1
The Move Toward Modernism: A Look at Monet
Chapter 31Humanities 103
Instructor Beth Camp
2
Impressionism 1875-1900
Transitory visual impressions Painted directly from nature (“plein air”) Observed nature closely Used “broken color” to show form and
luminosity Rejected academic standards, romantic
emotion or imagination
3
Challenge Question:
Do the paintings by Monet reinforce or contradict your understanding of Impressionism?
As you view these works, select two paintings which you think are “most representative” of Monet’s work.
4
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
“Suddenly, it was as though a veil had been ripped from my eyes. I understood, I saw, what painting could be! From that moment on, my way was clear, my destiny decreed. I would be a painter no matter what. And I understood nature and I learned at the same time to love it.”
Monet at 18; Boudin introduces him toplein air painting
Next: Bathing at La Grenouillere (1869)
5
Monet
6
Monet
Boulevard des Capucines (1873)
Next: The Railroad Bridge at Argenteuil (1874)
7
Monet
8
Monet
The Stroll, Camille Monet and her son Jean (Woman with a Parasol), (1875)
9
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
“When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you -- a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think: Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives your own naïve impression of the scene before you.”
10
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Landscapes Impressions: Sunrise (1873) Wheatstacks (End of Summer)
(1890-1891)
11
Monet
12
13
Monet
Rouen Cathedral, the West Portal, Full Sunlight, Harmony in Blue and Gold (1893)
Next: Water Lilies (1906)
14
Courbet
15
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
“One day I believe I have a masterpiece, then it turns to nothing; I fight, I fight without advancing. I think I am searching for the impossible although I am full of courage.”
• Monet quoted in “Monet to Moore,” Portland Art Museum,
1999-2000
Next: The Japanese Bridge (1918-1924)
16
17
About Monet
What is your impression of Monet‘s work? Which one or two paintings were you
most intrigued by? Why? How would you describe the “subtext” of
Monet’s work?
18
Challenge Question:
Did the paintings by Monet reinforce or contradict your understanding of Impressionism?
Which two paintings are “most representative” of Monet’s work and why?
19
Sources
Slides from Mark Hardin’s Artchive “Monet to Moore,” Portland Art Museum, 1999-
2000 Follow-up:
Do some additional reading about these three painters. What did each contribute?
How are they different? How are they alike? What were the most memorable images from
this slide show? Why?
Top Related