It’s no secret the Impressionists
had a much looser, dreamy, atmospheric way of painting. Compared to Realism,
the Impressionists, sought to capture what the eye perceived - the optical effects of
light - to convey the passage of time, changes in weather, and other shifts in
the atmosphere in their canvases. Their art did not necessarily rely on
realistic depictions, linear perspective, or perfect symmetry, but rather, it
aimed to capture everyday life. Impressionism came out of France, and through
the movement, we began to see many picturesque landscape paintings, along with
depictions of how the French spent their down-time. Almost everyone in France
had some bit of leisure time, from the lowest, poorest class to the high and
mighty in society. People found themselves relaxing over lunch or in a park or garden
near the sea, enjoying the company of friends and strangers. The artists of
this era captured everyday life, snapshots, one might say, stopping time. Take
one look at any French painting from the late 19th and early 20th
centuries and you’ll find a moment frozen in time. When
observing paintings from this period, one can’t help but notice how many
paintings there are of people sitting, of beaches, of rivers, of boats, of parks,
of gardens. It’s captivating and fun to imagine spending a day in the life of
French in the late 19th century. Maybe you relax with some friends
in the morning, but as the day goes on you want to do something spontaneous and
fun. If you were a young twenty something, bored and looking for a cheap
thrill, what would you do? Graffiti a building? Steal someone’s horse? Skinny-dip
on a hot summer day, perhaps??
Garden At
Sainte-Adresse, Claude Monet, 1867, Oil on Canvas, 98.1 x 129.9 cm, on
Location at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, United States
We stumble upon a scene of four
people relaxing in a colorful, floral garden on the coast of Sainte-Adresse
France. Some sitting, others standing, all chatting, watching the boats sail
by, enjoying the sea breeze, the bright, multicolored flowers, each other’s
company. Imagine the conversation between the young couples. What could they
possibly be talking about? Everything? Nothing? Life? Maybe they’re gossiping
about how the woman from next door cheated on her husband with the man from the
mechanic shop down the road…
Gladioli, Claude
Monet, 1876, Oil on Canvas, 55.8 x 82.5 cm, on Location at the Detroit
Institute of Arts in Detroit, Michigan, United States
This
painting depicts a women in blue, strolling along a path, in a garden, shaded
by a green parasol. Maybe she’s from the garden in Sainte-Adresse. She decided
to browse around the garden, contemplating life. Stopping to smell the roses,
or any other flower in the garden, maybe? Pink, red and purple gladiolas, in
full bloom, are in the right foreground. They are bordered by low growing,
coral colored flowers and small shrubs that line the path. Maybe
the woman is intrigued by the white butterflies in how gentle and delicate they
appear…
Camille
Monet And A Child In The Artist’s Garden In Argenteuil, Claude
Monet, 1875, Oil on Canvas, 64.7 x 55.3 cm, on Location at the Museum of Fine
Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Here we can’t help but imagine the aforementioned
woman stopping to see her daughter who may have been watched and cared for by a
servant or other help. Maybe she didn’t care to be bothered to raise her own daughter,
as if she was royalty. Still surrounded by vibrant, colorful flowers in full
bloom, it makes sense to imagine she is still in the garden on the Coast of
Sainte-Adresse. What’s she making? A new outfit for her daughter, maybe? Or
could she be destroying one the help made…
Woman With
A Monkey, Georges Seurat, 1884, Oil on Wood, 24.8 x 15.9 cm, on
Location at Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, Massachusetts, United
States
Even though this particular
painting may have been a study for Seurat’s Sunday
Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, we can feel the continuation
from the garden. The woman has strolled out of the garden to a nearby park, getting
a closer look at the water. As she walks
her pet monkey, she might be wishing she a child again, carefree and
spontaneous. She must be hot in that long dress! The heavy, thick, dark fabric
is itchy and she’s probably become rather sweaty, even though she would never
admit it…
Beach at
Sainte-Adresse, Claude Monet, 1867, Oil on Canvas, 75.7 x 102.4 cm, on
Location at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Here our perspective changes to see
what the woman sees. We see boats about to head out and people conversing. What
are they talking about? Are they planning an adventure? Did they just catch
some dinner? Are they just having a guy’s day at the beach away from their
wives? It’s not super busy and should be relaxing for the group. There’s a
nice, cool sea breeze. It’s quiet and peaceful. Maybe the woman decided to call
the group down to join her…
Regatta at
Sainte-Adresse, Claude Monet, 1867, Oil on Canvas, 75.2 x 101.6 cm, on
Location at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, United States
The wandering woman and her friends
make their way down to the shore. They continue to casually converse amongst
each other and enjoy the gentle sea breeze. And what a nice view of the water! It’s
a blue that cools you down right when you look at it. Maybe they could dip
their toes in? Oh but how nice would it be to go for a swim! It’s sweltering
out! Too bad they didn’t pack their swimsuits! They could always swim in their
undergarments, or nothing at all…
Study for “Bathers At Asnieres”, Georges
Seurat, 1883, Oil on Wood, 25 x 15.5 cm, on Location at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France.
What do we have here? I wonder who
had the spontaneous idea to go skinny dipping in the middle of the day!
Memorable, no doubt! Here we see two figures wading in the water and cooling
off. We see clothes thrown on the edge of the shore, and someone just observing
the fun. Maybe the young, wandering woman can convince the person sitting on
the shore to join them! What a time to be alive! Wild, and free and living while
they’re young…
Clothes on the Grass, Georges Seurat,
1883, Oil on Wood, 24.8 x 16.2 cm, on Location at the Tate Modern in London, United
Kingdom
As the day
comes to a close, we see a once again peaceful body of water. The setting sun
dances in tranquility across the water. Abandoned and ghostly yet peaceful and
serene. There is not a soul in sight. Everyone has gone home for the day. They’ve
had their conversations and made their memories. Looks like someone forgot
their clothes though. Did the wandering woman and the hesitant figure on the
shore run away together? I guess we’re left to imagine and wonder…
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