Friday, April 21, 2017

From Garden Gazing to Beach Bathing


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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