Claude Monet 👨🏼‍🎨🇫🇷🖌

Celebrating the 180^th birth anniversary of Claude Monet

Claude Monet, one of the titans of Impressionism, remains an enduring figure in the annals of art history. His innovative approach to capturing the fleeting effects of light, color, and atmosphere fundamentally reshaped the course of painting in the 19th and 20th centuries. Monet’s art did not merely reflect his time; it revolutionized the very essence of artistic expression. This critical introduction delves into the various phases of Monet’s artistic life, tracing his remarkable evolution as an artist.

Born on 14 November 1840 in Paris and baptised as Oscar-Claude, although his family called him just Oscar and later in life he will be known as Claude. In 1845 the family moved from Paris to Le Havre in Normandy, where he then enrolled into a school of arts and met fellow painter Eugène Boudin, who introduced him to “en plain air” painting. This approach to painting subject influenced enormously the way Monet would interpret his role as a landscape painter. Monet’s early works, such as “Camille” (1866), reveal his adherence to the traditional conventions of the time, yet even in these early portraits, hints of his evolving style are discernible.

The first significant phase of Monet’s artistic journey can be traced to the mid-1860s when he joined forces with fellow artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley, who shared a profound interest in the effects of light and the transient qualities of nature. It was during this time that the Impressionist movement was born, and Monet became a pioneer of this groundbreaking style.

The hallmark of Impressionism was its rejection of the academic rigidity that had dominated the art world for centuries. Monet and his fellow Impressionists sought to capture the immediacy of sensory experience, opting for vibrant, unblended colors, and spontaneous brushwork.

With his revolutionary painting, Impression, Sunrise, exhibited for the first time in Paris in 1874, Monet unknowingly gave the name to the nascent Impressionist movement that also included fellow contemporary artists like Pissarro, Manet, Renoir and Sisley. The subject matter of this seascape seems secondary and all attention is given to the effects of light on the water and in the sky. captures the essence of this movement. This astonishing painting, with its loose brushwork and ethereal depiction of a hazy harbor, it not only encapsulates the essence of Impressionism but also lent its name to the movement itself.

During this phase, Monet was fixated on studying the effects of light and atmosphere on the same subject at different times of day. His iconic series paintings of subjects like haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and water lilies exemplify this obsession. The series format allowed Monet to explore the nuances of color, shadow, and reflection, showcasing his unparalleled ability to render the fleeting beauty of the world. In these works, Monet’s devotion to capturing the essence of a single moment in time is palpable, making his art a profound meditation on the transience of life.

Summer, exhibited at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Depicting a tranquil countryside scene with a women sitting in a cool shadowy foreground, against a background in the summer heat with wind-blown trees. Most probably painted while spending the summer of 1874 in Argenteuil, along with Renoir and Manet.

The Lemon Grove in Bordighera, 1884, oil painting exhibited at the Glyptoteket in Copenhagen – Depicting a colourful Mediterranean scene, painted while the artist was spending some time in the South of France and in Italy in 1884. This garden landscape seems to be more attentive to details than his previous works and the result of some careful brushstroke work to portray an intricate layering of colours and shadows.

As Monet continued to evolve as an artist, his later works saw a shift towards a more harmonious and mature style. He moved to Giverny in 1883 and embarked on the creation of his water garden, which would serve as a muse for some of his most renowned pieces. The series of water lily paintings, including “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge” (1899), signify a transition towards abstraction and a deeper exploration of color. Here, Monet’s brushstrokes become broader and more expressive, and his color palette grows richer and more nuanced, demonstrating a heightened emotional depth.

Monet’s mastery of capturing the ephemeral, a hallmark of his Impressionist period, reached new heights in these later works. He transformed his water garden into a sanctuary of serene reflections, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the quiet contemplation of nature. These pieces, almost ethereal in their abstraction, prefigure the abstract expressionist movement that would emerge in the 20th century. Monet’s dedication to exploring the interplay of light and water, as seen in his Japanese bridge paintings, paved the way for artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko to pursue their own abstract visions.

The Water-Lily Pond, 1899, oil painting exhibited at the National Gallery in London – Depicting a colourful and iconic scene from his garden in Giverny, in the outskirts of Paris. Monet found inspiration for his late paintings from the garden he carefully designed around his country house in Giverny. Today the garden is kept with a similar attention his previous owner had for it and provides an astonishing resonance with his paintings. One inevitably wonders whether Monet was depicting on canvas similar aesthetic ideas as he was creating with plants in his own garden.

As we progress into the 20th century, Monet’s influence on the trajectory of modern art becomes increasingly evident. The advent of photography had freed artists from the need to create literal representations of the world, allowing them to delve deeper into the realm of subjectivity and abstraction. Monet’s work, particularly his later water lily paintings, became a touchstone for artists seeking to convey the essence of the world rather than its physical form.

Visiting Monet’s Garden in Giverny one is struck by the beauty of the water-lilies floating on the lake. Indeed these flowers were almost an obsession and an almost unique subject for Monet’s late paintings. He painted some 250 canvasses with this subject. The Nymphéas on the left is exhibited at Tate Modern.

Moreover, Monet’s art remains profoundly relevant in the contemporary context. In an era dominated by digital screens and the constant bombardment of images, his paintings serve as a reminder of the value of slowing down and truly seeing the world around us. His ability to distill the beauty of everyday scenes into vibrant, emotional canvases challenges us to look more closely at the world and find inspiration in the ordinary.

In conclusion, Claude Monet’s artistic journey is a testament to the power of innovation, persistence, and a relentless pursuit of beauty. His transformation from a conventional portraitist to the vanguard of Impressionism and, ultimately, a trailblazer in abstraction, demonstrates the remarkable evolution of his artistic vision. Monet’s legacy endures not only in his paintings but in the way he forever altered the course of art history, inspiring generations of artists to explore the fleeting and the profound in the world around them. His art continues to captivate, challenge, and inspire, making Claude Monet a timeless icon of the creative spirit.