MONET

A detailed Summary of MONET

I have always been interested in the impressionist style of art, especially the work of Claude Monet. When making my book selection I took this under consideration and chose a book written by Raymond Cogniat entitled Monet and His World. This lively illustrated book is written with great detail. Using explanations, illustrations, pictures and paintings, Cogniat helps to illustrate not only the life of Monet, but also the world of Impressionism, art and French society during Monet's time. You are thrust into the life of this painter and his frame of mind throughout the various stages in his life.

Cogniat discusses a vast variety of artistic techniques and movements. He aids us in understanding Monet's motives and life behind the paintings I have learned a great deal about impressionism from this books and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in impressionist art.

Monet and His World was published in 1966. The majority of the paintings are shown in black and white, which definitely takes away the beauty of them. It also makes us it harder to understand Mount's techniques of painting without chiaroscuro (using light and shade in pictorial representation). I was lucky enough to acquire a colored picture b

Monet's vision is alive and well and today. The works of Monet and the other impressionists can be found in Museums worldwide. The once-controversial form of art has become a classic which will continue to be honored as long as water-lillies grace our gardens. MONET

Impressionism sought to revitalize artistic vision through the use of colored shadows, the exclusion of black and the use of bright colors. The paintings of Monet also revolve around the fluid qualities of water and light and the importance of speed. It paved the road for many other forms of art, such as Divisionism and Pointillism. It also inspired many other artists, among these are Van Gogh anf Gauguin.

In 1892 Monet married Alice Hoschede, with whom he had had an affair during his marriage to Camille. In that year he painted with the realization that every aspect of the scene was altered in accordance with the changing light. This was to become an obsession in his later years. At last, Monet gained notoriety. He knew several important people and he became financially secure for the first time in his life. He once again began work on several series including the Haystacks7 (1890-1893, Poplars (1890-1891 and the Rouen Cathedrals8 (1892- 1895). With this new found luxury Monet was able to devote himself to gardening which, in turn, provided a motif for the painter's last important work, the Water Lilies9 series. Monet was absorbed in this project almost exclusively from 1900 until his death.

He continued his traveling throughout Europe. His son Jean married one of Mme. Hoschede's daughter in 1897. Monet's eight sight began to deteriorate in 1900 after an accident and would continue throughout the rest of his life due cataracts. His wife parted in the spring of 1911 and his son Jean in the winter of 1914.

In 1975 their work was shown at a auction in the Hotel Drouot. More ridicule was evoked here than at the Salon. Although success seemed miles away, the painters had already acquired a number of affluent patrons. Despite almost constant rejection and financial insecurity, Monet's paintings never became sullen nor dreary. Instead, Monet immersed himself in the task of perfecting a style which still had not been accepted by the world at large. He began to work on a number of series, starting in 1876 on the Saint-Lazare Railway Station6. Here he imbued the theme of man and nature being one. He attempted to romanticize the railway through the medium of light.

In 1874, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley and Monet put together the popular exhibition of the 'Cooperative Society of Artists, Painters, Sculptors and Engravers' which was unfortunately a disaster. Critics were extremely vicious. They set out to destroy the lives and self-esteem of the painters. The exhibition characterized a return to financial insecurity for M

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Approximate Word count = 1917
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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