Oscar-Claude Monet as One of the Distinguished French Artists - Coursework Example

CLAUDE MONET Art is the most sublime and brilliant expression of the delicate thoughts and imaginative vision of human nature that projects in quite a refined way all the aestheticism prevailing in his mind, and all that he absorbs through cavernous observation of the social and natural phenomenon, and strives to preserve it through pencil, color, canvas, verse or prose. Hence, art can be regarded as the preservation of superb beauties offered to a talented artist by nature. The same is the case with renowned artist Monet. Oscar-Claude Monet is one of the distinguished French artists and painters of twentieth century, who introduced modern and innovative ideas in the fields of paintings and philosophy by pioneering his own Impressionist school of thought in arts. Born in the capital city of Paris on 14th November 1840, the unique artist spent most of his life in his native land France. He has left his indelible imprints on French fine arts and literature by dint of his gifted talent and intellect. Monet spent his childhood in the Normandy coastal town of Le Havre, where his father has shifted when little Claude was mere five years old, and his father prospered as a grocer and ship chandler at that city. (Quoted in Guggenheimcollection.org) Claude Monet had been gifted with highly imaginative and profound intellectual capabilities since his childhood, and he started making sketches of the beauties of natural objects under the influence of innate stimulation, call of which was too sonorous to neglect for him. Thus, he successfully explored the hidden artist inside his personality. Monet was not very fond of attending school in his childhood, and had little interest in the syllabus designed to coach and teach the students. Rather, he was a thorough artist and used to sketch the caricatures of his teachers and class-mates in his classroom. Monet contains all the characteristics of a great future artist even at a young age at school. His meeting with the landscape artist, Louis Eugène Boudin, at the age of twenty years, served as the turning point of his life, which bestowed upon him a magnificent opportunity of growth and development as painter. Boudin establishes the taste for plain air painting in him; consequently, the young Monet started creating and drawing progressively more imaginative, striving and naturalistic art. Monet’s early experience along the Channel and the Seine estuary was perhaps the singularly most considerate influence on his artistic career. His first youthful paintings of the shore, of the harbors and of small sailing craft record his love and perception. (Retrieved in monetartprints.net) Out door paintings wide opened new horizons of imagination and creativity for Monet, and he discovered how much he was suitable for drawing such magnificent landscapes, sea-shore, gorgeous movement of waves and the grandeur of the mighty hills. Since he was the ardent admirer of the natural beauties, he spent many hours daily along the sea-side, valleys, hills and meadows. It was the age of transition, where industrial revolution has drastically changed the very scenario of the society of his times. There were constant and continuous wars in Europe, and Prussia and France were always at daggers drawn against each other. Monet was also called for the military service in 1862, which he rendered in the African country of Algeria. During his military services in Africa, he was least a military man, and was mere an artist, who discovered the wonderful beauty of African land an ideal thing to paint. The humiliating defeat of his country in Franco-Prussian War of 1871 was the decisive one that completed the humiliation of France in the eyes of the world. Though he again rendered military services in that war, yet he abhorred military campaigns. In such a precarious situation of wars, Monet’s paintings portray the concept of escape from war mania on the one hand, and materialistic approach of common man on the other. Thus, Monet was the rebellion of his age, who selected brush and canvas as the weapon to reveal his apathy towards industrialization and technological advancements. Monet’s paintings were accepted in Salon in 1865, and captured the attention of the visitors. He underwent financial worries and pecuniary embarrassments particularly at the eve of becoming father of Camille’s son in 1867, which were settled with the passage of time after the acceptance of more of his paintings. He married Camille in 1870, and remarried Madame Hoschede in 1892. Monet died in France on December 5, 1926. MORNING HAZE Description: Monet produced many superb pieces of painting, which are regarded as the classics by the critics and analysts. His painting under the title Morning Haze (a collection of the Art Gallery Washington DC.) is also among such marvelous artistic edifice. Drawn in 1888 as a glorious oil painting on canvas, Monet has skillfully elaborated the natural beauty under thick haze at dawn. Original painting size was 36.2" x 29.1" (92.0cm x 74.0cm). The style of the painting is Impressionist and the theme represented is Landscape. (oldmasterpiece.com) The painting has been sketched during the winter season early in the morning, which defines the natural phenomenon on the one hand, and the painter’s passion, ambitions and commitment to his work on the other. Formal Analysis: The distinguished painting consists of all the impressionistic traits attributed to the Monet’s paintings. The terrific use of multi-colors and inclusion of trees, plants, flowers, leaves and even grass reveal the depth of the artist’s keen observation and skill of not to neglect even any trivial object of nature existing in the panorama being sketched. The reflection of these objects in water has also been depicted in the painting. Many of the identified colors were modern pigments that became available only late in the 19th century as a result of scientific advances in pigment chemistry. (Dredge, 2000) The painting has been examined thoroughly under the microscope, where the pigments applied in the edifice has minutely been observed. The analysts admired the combination of the oil colors applied very skillfully on the canvas, depicting the mastery of Monet’s art of drawing sketch in a pageant way. The extremely complex construction of the painting was revealed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), and X-ray mapping (XRM) analysis of cross sections of paint flakes excised from the winter mist of the splendid landscape. (Philips, 2007) Brush strokes are quite visible in this impressionist piece of art, where the changing qualities of light have been given special attention. The visual angles are exceptionally unusual under an open composition. Complementary colors have applied to represent the mist in the paintings. Interpretation: The painting above-mentioned drawn by Monet presents a gloomy impression, which simply means how the haze and mist destroy the glare and dazzle of the pageant colors nature offers to man. It also reflects the idea that ice and mist apparently make the colors of man’s abilities drab and dull, but give the message of hard resistance and survival under the most unfavorable circumstances even. The painting belongs to the adverse days of the painter’s life, when his energies observe serious set back due to pecuniary embarrassments he was undergoing. Similarly, the morning haze also represents the ice age of Monet’s contemporary Europe, where there was haze and mist of uncertainty prevailing under the constant threats of wars and hostility all around. But at the same time, there is a slight appearance of the shining sun represents hope and courage that will diminish the mist making the objects of nature bloom and shine once again. MARINE NEAR ETRETAT Description: Claude Monet’s Marine near Etretat is also a glorious piece of art, which is the part of the Impressionist series of late nineteenth century. The wonderful piece of painting is considered as marvelous artistic splendor. Painted in 1882 as a celebrated oil painting on canvas, the painter has dexterously drawn the image of sea that had been his passion, his love and his great fervor. The original size of this painting was 21 1/2 x 29 1/16 inches (54.6 x 73.8 cm). The style of this painting is also Impressionist and the theme depicted in it is Landscape. (European Art Gallery) The painting has been sketched near the glamorous location of Etretat, which is famous for its gorgeous cliffs, eye-catching hills and alluring landscapes. Formal Analysis: The painting under the title Marine near Etretat is also the paragon of natural beauty wonderfully preserved in an artistic work having typical impressionistic characteristics accredited to the impressionistic school of thought. The painter has included tremendous combination of various water colors while depicting the tranquility of peaceful waves narrate the story of the pageant beauties nature has bestowed upon the small town of Etretat. The painting also reveals the profundity of the dexterity Monet was blessed with on the one hand, and his fondness to sketch and preserve the scattered magnificence of natural phenomena all around him. Monet has described the difference between the real and reflective images inside as well as outside of the marine. Thus, the reflection of the cliffs in water has been portrayed in the painting. Short and thick strokes of the paint applied while drawing as well as emphasis of natural glow and opaque surface signifies the painting as one of the masterpieces of Impressionistic school. Like other impressionistic works, Marine near Etretat has also been meticulously studied under the microscope, and the combination and contrast of pigments incurred in the drawing has closely been analyzed, which has been appreciated and applauded by the critics belonging to different schools of thoughts all over the globe. Interpretation: Monet’s painting Marine near Etretat was completed in 1882, a time when the painter had shifted from Paris to Poissy. It was the time when Monet intended to go on an excursion to paint all the marvelous landscape of central France. Escape, companionship, recovery of innocence, and spiritual regeneration has all been offered as motives for these excursions. (Compton 1982) The painting under study reveals the vastness of marine that simply presents the glaring fondness of the painter for the sea-shores and harbors on the one hand and vastness of his ideas, imagination and love for natural beauty on the other. The painting also portrays the concept that though apparently looks cool, calm and steady; even then life is full of action and opportunities for man. It presents individual and collective impression of the France of that time, where the empire was as vast as the sky and as deep as the sea. The painting represents transition, and same is the case with the last two decades of nineteenth century. Similarly, the morning haze also represents the ice age of Monet’s contemporary Europe, where there was haze and mist of uncertainty prevailing under the constant threats of wars and hostility all around. But at the same time, there is a slight appearance of the shining sun represents hope and courage that will diminish the mist making the objects of nature bloom and shine once again. REFERENCES: Art Prints Claude Monet Biography (Quoted in http://www.monetartprints.net/monet_biography.html) Compton, Anne. The Poet-Impressionist: Some Landscapes by   Archibald Lampman Retrieved in http://www.uwo.ca/english/canadianpoetry/cpjrn/vol34/compton.htm) Guggenheim Museum. Biography of Oscar-Claude Monet: (Retrieved in http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_165.html) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=EB847C537DA08ADC3ADD956E56A63901.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=144545 Read More