“The Late” Claude Monet

Claude Monet - Water Lilies - c. 1920 - Oil on canvas - 200 x 425 cm - Museum of Modern Art, New York (click photo for larger image)When one looks at the late work of Claude Monet (1840-1926), it’s impossible not to see the “modernism” of Impressionism. In the past, the highly abstract nature of the work was “blamed” on Monet’s failing eyesight. However, we now recognize that the artist’s vision was never more clear.

Monet didn’t engage in all of the debates going on among artists during that time, about theory, the directions art was taking, and so forth. He remained at Giverny, tending those gardens that were his studio—and painting. He lived and worked in his own world, of his own creation. He undoubtedly heard of the “abstraction” that was emerging in art, but was likely not affected by it. Instead—as he had always done—he followed the directions of his own imagination, his own view of his reality. By so doing, he created some of the most “modern” — most “abstract” images of the twentieth century. The history of art continues to owe Monet a great debt. It is worth noting that the interest of such postmodernists as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in the work of the Impressionist master contributed, in part, to the resurrection of Impressionism by art historians. It wasn’t until the late 1940s and early 1950s that a revisitation at last appropriately gave that movement its proper stature in the history of art.

The work featured here is one of the three large water lily paintings by Monet housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. It shows a pond covered with water lilies, with reflections of clouds overhead.

Maximilien Luce: A Neo-Impressionist

Maximilien Luce - Notre Dame de Paris - 1900 - Oil on canvas, 116 x 81.3 cm- Christies (click photo for larger image)Maximilien Luce (1858-1941) was a prolific French Neo-impressionist artist, known for his paintings, illustrations, engravings, and graphic art, and also for his anarchist activism. Starting as an engraver, he then concentrated on painting, first as an Impressionist, then as a Pointillist, and finally returning to Impressionism. Luce was among the most productive of the Neo-impressionists, creating over two thousand oil paintings, a comparably large number of watercolors, gouaches, pastels, and drawings, plus over a hundred prints. The Musée d'Orsay assesses Luce as "one of the best representatives of the neo-impressionist movement”.

Impressionism on Film

Scene from The Impressionists (2006) BBC Miniseries (click photo for larger image)The Impressionists (2006) is a “three hour mini-series [produced by the BBC] that tells the intimate history of a most illustrious brotherhood of Impressionist artists—Claude Monet (1840-1926), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), and Édouard Manet (1832-1883).

Entirely based on documentary evidence, special effects transport the viewer inside some of the world's best-loved paintings—and lives.” Many of the artworks seen in the film were re-created using the same techniques the artists employed at the time. Julian Glover (playing an 80-year old Claude Monet) acts as the narrator of a journey through the Impressionist years—one characterized by enormous highs, lows, struggles, losses, and triumphs. A series of this type cannot include all of the details and artists of an age, and many important painters of the movement have, sadly, been excluded. Such omissions tend to fog up some of the “truths” about the history of Impressionism, its origins, and fail to accurately assign credit where credit is due, in terms of where certain achievements of Impressionism should be placed. In addition, from a filmic perspective, the program tends to be a bit “on the nose”—most likely in the interest of satisfying the goals of a docudrama. While it’s far from perfect, however, The Impressionists is still very much worth a watch. Most of what is seen is true—and the viewer will definitely have a better understanding of Impressionism and some of its major figures, after having seen it. All of the portrayals are excellent—and the “story” — though not exactly riveting — is thoroughly entertaining and flows well. It’s certainly meaty enough to encourage further investigation into this significant movement in the history of art.

Claude Monet - Camille (The Woman in a Green Dress) - 1866 - Oil on canvas - 231 × 151 cm (90.9 × 59.4 in) - Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, Germany (click photo for larger image)I lead a film program for the Scarsdale Adult School. We view films about art and artists—each followed by a presentation designed to separate the facts from the fictions. These sessions include lively discussions that are engaging and thought provoking. Our class takes place in the lovely screening room at the Scarsdale Public Library. The Impressionists will be leading our Fall 2016 series, and will cover two sessions (given the length of the mini-series). Tuesdays, October 11th and 18th, will be our dates. I will also be offering a three-part art history class on Impressionism: The Fleeting Aspects of Color and Light for the Center for Continuing Educationon Thursdays—November 3rd, 10th and 17th. Finally, I’ll be leading a tour of Impressionist works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (for CCE) on Thursday, December 8th, as well.

Please check out the above websites for my Fall 2016 program offerings. I hope to see you there!

An Abandoned Love…(for a time)…

Claude Monet - Camille or The Woman in a Green Dress - 1866 - Oil on canvas - 231 x 151 cm — (approx. 91 x 59.4 in) Kunsthalle, Bremen (click photo for larger image)Claude Monet - Camille Sitting on the Beach at Trouville - 1870 - Oil on Canvas - 45 x 36 cm (approx. 18 x 15 in) - Private CollectionCamille Doncieux (1847 – 1879) was the first wife of Claude Monet (1840-1926). She modeled for her husband on several occasions, and also modeled for Pierre-August Renoir and Édouard Manet. Camille and Monet were married in 1870. She became ill in 1875, and died in 1979. She had their first son while they were still unmarried—and Monet initially abandoned her in order to avoid losing his allowance from his father, who didn’t approve of his desire to be an artist. Claude and Camille had two sons. The second, Michel, was born in 1878, and weakened her already fading health. She probably died of pelvic cancer (although there are claims that the cause of her death was tuberculosis, or even a botched abortion) on 5 September 1879. Monet painted her on her death bed.

Manet’s Muse…

Édouard Manet - Olympia - 1863 - Oil on canvas, 130.5 x 190 cm (51 3/8 x 74 3/4 in) Musee d'Orsay, Paris (click photo for larger image)A Work by Victorine Louise Meurent (click photo for larger image)Édouard Manet (1832-1883) Victorine Louise Meurent (February 18, 1844 – March 17, 1927) was a French painter and a famous model for painters. Although she is best known as the favorite model of Édouard Manet, she was also an artist in her own right who regularly exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon. In 1876 her paintings were selected for inclusion at the Salon's juried exhibition, when Manet's work was not. Manet continued to use Meurent as a model until the early 1870s, when she began taking art classes. They became estranged when she was drawn to the more academic style of painting that Manet vehemently opposed. Below is the only remaining example of her work—untitled and undated—and a photograph of Victorine.