Museum Visit and Exhibit Review - Essay Example

Within this context, the artist makes use of a common location (say, La Grenouillere) as the most important factor that adds vividness to the main theme. This helps the viewers to have different view of a familiar place used for recreational purpose. The rippling effect on the surface of the water body is symbolic of liveliness of nature. Besides, the background (blue sky and thick vegetation) is symbolic of unexploited tranquillity. On the other side, one can see that the most important message of the painting is that cordial relationship with nature can fill human minds with hope, not despair.

Techniques: The artist makes use of light in artwork to expose the effect of the same on his immediate surroundings. Francesco Salvi states that, “In Monet’s painting, the bright sunshine in the background contrasts with the cool shadows in the foreground” (28). To be specific, the artist provided ample light to the background (trees, horizon, sky etc). But the foreground (boats, water body, foliage etc) is portrayed in less light. This progression from less brightness to brightness proves that the artist is deeply interested in the use of light in his artwork.

The dominating colours in the artworks are dark green, grey, blue, bluish green, and combination of green, yellow and brown. This unnatural combination of different colours provides vividness and depth to the artwork. The ‘Actual texture’ technique (say, flowing water and floating objects) made use by the artist helps the viewers to consider the artwork as dynamic. The artificial island with a tree is the focal point and the same provides balance (say, symmetrical balance between nature and manmade objects) to the artwork as a whole.

The dark contrast in the foreground and the brightness in the background are helpful to view the artwork from a different angle. To be specific, the combination of darkness and brightness enhances the visual acuity of the artwork. On the other side, the artwork’s proportion is symbolic of the crafty combination of living and lifeless objects. Still, nature dominates the artwork because the same is the main theme and plot. Style: The artwork is symbolic of Impressionism because the artist himself is the mastermind behind the origin of Impressionism in Europe.

To be specific, noticeable brush strokes, accuracy of light (bright and dark), time element, usage of usual subject/theme, liveliness, human perception of nature, strange visual angles etc prove the influence of impressionism. Ronald R. Bernier opines that, “In this picture Monet directs the viewer’s attention not to a unified narrative or synoptic view of things but to the lack of homogeneity, both in the procedure of painting and in the subject itself” (29). So, one can see that the artwork named as La Grenouillere represents the development of impressionism and impressionist painting.

Compare and contrast: One can easily identify that the artwork represents the popularity gained by impressionism in Europe. To be specific, the basic elements of this artwork are strictly limited to the context of European Impressionism. Martha Moore opines that, “The label impressionism ironically resulted from negative criticism of Claude Monet’s Impression Sunrise in 1874” (227). Besides, Impressionism developed in Europe as experimentation within the context of