In the midst of the academically artistic late nineteenth century, there emerged a fresh, unconventional new art movement: Impressionism. This style of painting was characterized by energetic, bold brushstrokes that sought to capture the movement and feeling of a scene rather than painstakingly transcribe every fine detail. Instead of pursuing the traditional Renaissance realism and line integrity valued so highly in prestigious art circles, the Impressionists pushed the boundaries of what the medium of paint could do. Many historians cite this movement as the beginning of modern art, an era defined by vision and freedom of expression rather than displays of technical prowess. But how did this shift happen, and what may have caused it? Was it an overnight phenomenon, or a gradually budding revolution? In order to perhaps better understand the origins and progression of Impressionist painting, we will look to the artist whom scholars identify as the master of the movement: Claude Monet.
It becomes apparent when viewing Monet’s portfolio that the Impressionist movement did not spring forth in the blink of an eye. In fact, much of Monet’s earlier work displays a highly realistic style. From his early illusionistic landscapes and still lifes, however, we can trace the gradual development of the iconic Impressionism that he is now most known for. Through much experimentation, Monet expanded the horizons of what representational painting can be, as you will see in this exhibition.
Claude Monet, A Corner of the Studio, 1861, Oil on canvas
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
In first looking at this piece, the viewer will likely not assume Claude Monet to be its painter. This still life is one of Monet’s earliest surviving paintings, and actually belongs to the Realistic period. In Monet’s early career and as a student, he displayed great technical prolificacy in his works, embracing Realism in his paintings. A Corner of the Studio is an excellent example of his more precise linework, but also showcases hints of his later Impressionistic style in the wallpaper backdrop.
Claude Monet, Adolphe Monet Reading in the Garden, 1866, Oil on canvas
Various locations
A lesser known work, Adolphe Monet Reading in the Garden has been held by multiple museums over the past few decades, but does not have a permanent home. This painting depicts—as the title suggests—Claude Monet’s father at leisure in an outdoor space. This subject matter is a very common theme throughout Monet’s work, in keeping with the Impressionist movement’s focus on depictions of everyday middle-class life. This painting also shows Monet’s fascination with nature, something which became an increasingly potent obsession as his career progressed. In looking at the brushwork of this piece, we can see beginnings of the more generalized and painterly style that Monet is known for. Notice the sun and shadows on the ground and foliage; this is an early example of the artist’s fascination with light and its relation to scenery. Pay attention to this as we move forward.
Claude Monet, Le Parc Monceau, 1876, Oil on canvas
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 59.142
One of multiple studies done by Monet in the titular park over the course of several years, Le Parc Monceau is a primary example of the fully fledged impressionistic style that the artist is known for. We see the use of visible texture to create a sense of movement and unity, while also providing contrast with light and shadow. Gone are any traces of fine line and meticulous precision, instead usurped by an energy that seems to capture the world as it is perceived rather than the world as it is meant to be.
Claude Monet, Grainstacks at Giverny, Sunset, 1888-1889, Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago
Monet’s Grainstacks series is one of his most notable studies, marked by the focus on painting the light around objects rather than the objects themselves. As mentioned earlier, the evolution of Monet’s style was characterized by an ever-growing fascination with lighting and atmosphere in place of detail. In addition to an even more highly approximated depiction of line with a highly sketched feel, this piece features a warm orange glow that pervades the entirety of the scene. This creates an effect that gives the air an illusion of tangibility, as if the viewer is looking at an atmosphere that contains objects rather than at objects situated in an atmosphere.
Claude Monet, Leicester Square at Night, 1901, Oil on canvas
Tate Modern, London
Moving forward a decade to the turn of the century, Leicester Square at Night shows Monet pushing the boundaries once again into a borderline abstract style. This piece is one of a few that the artist painted of the square, although he unfortunately was unable to finish this more experimental series due to illness. This era of work is at the farthest extreme of what can be classified as Impressionism, with a blurry mass of color and value that completely does away with recognizable shape in favor of pure atmosphere. Monet did not paint the lights around the scene; the lights are the scene. This leads the viewer to experience the subject in a less rational and more emotional way, as the painting accurately and wonderfully captures the movement and excitement of the scene without the use of any identifiable objects.
Claude Monet, The House at Giverny Viewed from the Rose Garden, 1922 - 1924, Oil on canvas
Musée Marmottan Monet
The final piece in this installation comes from late in Monet’s career, in the era of his Water Lilies series. Though Water Lilies was undoubtedly the artist’s magnum opus, this work represents perhaps an even more fitting terminus of Monet’s stylistic evolution. His ethos is clear: the wonder of nature and everyday life captured through the study of light in a scene. The brushwork in House at Giverny is characterized by chaos and energy, the freedom demonstrated in his earlier works taken to the extreme. The painting incorporates the same sense of movement and ambiguity found in Leicester Square at Night, yet it also features recognizable elements and a domestic garden setting, much like his earlier works. It is a testament to the artistic vision of Impressionism that its forefather continued pushing the boundaries of the painting medium until the end of his career, and this work, though muddled in appearance, embodies the clarity with which Monet communicates about the world through his art.
Works Cited
FitzGerald, Desmond. "Claude Monet: Master of Impressionism." Brush and Pencil 15, no. 3 (1905): 181-195.
Venturi, Lionello. “The Aesthetic Idea of Impressionism.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 1, no. 1 (1941): 34–45.
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