Wednesday, August 9, 2017

A Monet Sampler



Claude Monet — HAULING A BOAT ASHORE, HONFLEUR. 1864.



Claude Monet was 24 when he finished Hauling A Boat Ashore, Honfleur. I wonder if he was well known enough then that Americans, Abraham Lincoln, for instance, had learned of his work. Or perhaps even seen it.



Claude Monet — IMPRESSION, SUNRISE. 1873.


Nine years later Monet completed Impression, Sunrise, and in retrospect that was the intersection of a young genius with his genre. A cousin of Impression, Sunrise, appeared that same year, Sunrise, The Sea.


Claude Monet — SUNRISE, THE SEA. 1873


As it's sometimes said about beverages made from grapes, 1873 was a very good year.


Lucky

I wonder about
taking a stroll
on the streets of Paris
in the mid 1870s, 
stopping for a refreshment,
and choosing a table outside.

A few moments later, 
several men in clothes 
that reveal they are
either sloppy for a living, 
or that they paint, 
or perhaps both,
storm into the cafe,
animated,
chattering,
oblivious of those
watching and hearing.

The group 
brings its drinks
to a table nearby, 
and for an hour, 
you happen to overhear 
Monet, Claude Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir
talk shop, politics and life.


That would have been cool. Like going to a London rock club in the 1960s and hearing Jimi Hendrix perform the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety the same day it was released to the public — with The Beatles in attendance. Rare air.


Claude Monet — RAILWAY BRIDGE AT ARGENTEUIL, 1873.



Claude Monet — PORT 'd AMOUNT ETRETAT. 1873.



Claude Monet — THE PORT OF LE HAVRE, NIGHT EFFECT. 1873.




This is a glimpse of Monet and Impressionism, akin to going to med school for 12 minutes.

In my case, one thing led to another, and if one is headed down a rabbit hole, it's never wasted time if that hare is an art lover.

For a more comprehensive visit with Claude Monet, click here.
























No comments:

Post a Comment