Claude Monet was born in Paris on November 14th, 1840. For much of Monet’s childhood, he was considered undisciplined by both his teachers and parents, and therefore, unlikely to be successful in life. Enforcing this impression, Monet showed no interest in inheriting his father’s wholesale grocery store. The only subject that seemed to spark any interest in Monet was painting. In school, Monet developed a reputation for the caricatures he was so fond on creating. By the age of 15, Monet was receiving commissions for his art works.
It was at Le Havre in 1856 that Monet met painter Eugene Boudin, who was obsessed with the idea of painting outdoors or en plein air. While Boudin’s own paintings have never been held in that high regard, he played a critical role in the education of Monet. At first, Monet resisted Boudin’s offer of tuition, but he eventually relaxed his protests. Before long, the tow painters had forged a relationship that would last a lifetime.
Although Monet left Le Havre to travel through Europe, he returned frequently to visit his old friend, Boudin. The interest that had been sparked some years earlier was refined, and Monet was in no doubt as to the extent to which his outlook on life had been altered, “my eyes were finally opened and I understood nature; I learned at the same time to love it.”
Eventually Monet joined the studio of the Swiss-born Charles Gleyre, a successful salon painter. Gleyre was neither a professor at the Ecole nor was he a member of the Academie. Remembering his own poverty as a student artist, Gleyre charged very little, only 10 francs for models and the studio. This leniency attracted a variety of artists. Among them all, however, Monet was to meet three very close and influential friends: Frederic Bazille, Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley. The unifying force that binded the group for so long, was the commitment and intense dedication to their new approach to art, called Impressionism.
Despite almost constant rejection and financial uncertainty, Monet’s paintings never became morose or somber. Instead, Monet immersed himself in the task of perfecting a style that had not been accepted by the world at large.
Poplars on the Bank of the Epte River portrays a row of poplar trees on the river. When the viewer is observing the painting, there are a few details that draw you in. One first notices the trees as the major object of the painting. As you move around the painting, there are more striking areas of light. There is a brilliant display of colors around the scene. The sky is fading in the background as the sun sets. There is a small amount of blue still hanging in the sky, and under that a large portion of yellow hue from the setting sun. As the sun sets further it causes a pink color above the land. The setting sun has caused the bottom of the poplar trees to darken. The shadow cast beneath the trees dulls the colors in a diagonal pattern to the corner of the painting. The left side of the painting is much brighter and more inviting.
There were a few factors that influenced Monet during the time he was painting the poplar series. He was the new owner of his house at Giverny, and he was spending a lot of time outdoors. Monet was able to spend more time than usual outside because of the mild winters. The temperature was rarely dropped below twenty degrees, and snow fell only light enough to cover the ground for a short while. This enabled Monet to paint what he was seeing firsthand, instead of relying on memory.
The appearance of the sky, whether or not the sun is rising or setting, can be a problem when painting outdoors because there is only a limited amount of time before the moment being painted is gone. The act of creating the poplars that told the truth required Monet to take consideration of aesthetics and forced him to do much of his painting after the event he painted had passed. Sometimes Monet was forced to put his work away and continue when the light was similar.
Monet’s method of painting is scientific in nature. He didn’t simply walk up to the poplar stream, set up his canvas and paint. The poplar series is the culmination of an eight-month study of the effect of light on a particular scene. Monet began by rowing to the poplars and observing them on many different occassions. For the next step in the process, Monet sketched a basic idea of the painting, which revealed the formal elements he deemed most important. The sketch captures the basic forms and general layout, and also where the objects are positioned. After this preparation, Monet began to paint. Monet’s painting method was greatly influenced by a French painter named Manet, whose technique involved observing the effects of light on a particular scene.
Monet’s technique made accommodations to this underlying philosophy of instantaneity and attention to decorative elements. Monet attempted to reconcile the idea of capturing a moment and his supposition that all moments of absolute truth contain a harmony of colors.
Monet was daring in his work. Monet was truly a man that had respect for art. He could paint with emotions that others could never see. And he can leave you with a sense of serenity, as you gaze upon the poplars.
Reference:
- Chew, Robin. Claude Monet: French Impressionist Painter. www.lucidcafe.com/library/95noe/monet.html Fraser, A. Heather. Claude Monet: A 19th Century Businessman. www.ffauclagary.ca/artbusiness/bankthirteen.html Microsoft Encarta. “Impressionism.” “Monet, Claude.” Funk and Wagnalls Corp. 1994 Nunhead, Nancy. Monet. NY, Barnes & Noble Inc. 1994 Pioch, Nicolas. Impressionism. Sheff, Jeremy. Impressionism. Morris, Catherine. Claude Monet. Andrews McMeel Publishing. Tucker, Paul. Monet in the 90’s: the series paintings. Boston Museum of Fine Arts in association with Yale University Press.
