Answer TWO of the following as a Comment below:
1. What made Monet’s late
landscapes of waterlillies so revolutionary despite their relatively simple
subjects? Related to this, why did he
refer to them as “reflected landscapes” (83)?
How might this suggest a different perspective on the natural world?
2. Later in life, Monet no
longer simply wished to record the impressions of nature as it was; he wanted
to shape/control nature: “when a mighty oak he was painting began to bud,
Monet, rather than later his painting, recruited village youngsters to climb up
and see to it that when he resumed work the next day there was not a trace of
green to be seen” (72). What does this
say about his late art, and is it a betrayal of his earlier ideals—or of the
ideals of Impressionism itself? Is this
no longer “Impressionism” but “Creationism”?
3. How does the book
describe Monet in later life? What kind
of man was he? Did worldly success
affect his art—did it make him soft? Or
did he refuse to ‘sell out’ and remain pretty much as he was, just even more so
(since money allowed him to do it)?
4. Which of the paintings
in this book is your favorite and why?
What do you ‘see’ in this painting which makes it personal or meaningful
to you? Would you have responded so
strongly to this painting before you read the book/took the class—or did one
(or both) help you connect to it?
Number three:
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to me later in life that Monet was content, he had remarried, had a entire liter of kids, stepkids, grandkids, etc...and toted them around everywhere. He did not sell out, he followed his heart and what he wanted to paint. It is inevitable in any career or life path that one would change and grow and it seemed as he grew older he followed that path.
Number four: I was drawn to "The House of Parliament, London" as I have visited the sight. When our tour bus pulled up to it, the last stop, the sun was going down and it cast many shades of light and dark on the forbidding building. I remember this and was fully reminded when I saw the picture. It is amazing that someone could take what I saw with my naked eye and put a version of it on canvas with so many colors and emotions. I feel more connected to it now that I have taken the class and read the book. It is cool to have someone in the past feel rather the same way that I did as a visitor in 2007.
ReplyDelete3. Monet certainly maintained control of who he was and how he interacted with the world. Instead of giving into fame and becoming a slave to his fans and critics, he produced art only that he wanted to make and surrounded himself with family. The book mentions that Monet somewhat mentored young artists in his studios, but he gained a reputation for being “extremely ill-tempered” (pg 76). He was clearly confident in his work once it became accepted by a larger audience, but in declining national honors he seemed to be snubbing the critics as they earlier snubbed him. He made it to prominence despite the initial mockery of his artwork by the French critics, so he remained content in his personal artistic empire.
ReplyDelete4. My favorite painting is Waterlily Pond, Evening featured on pages 86-87. I do not think I would have responded to this painting in a significant way without reading the book because I would not have been able to appreciate Monet’s use of color, light, and landscape. I especially identified with the painting when I learned Monet wanted to present the waterlilies “in such a way that the illusion of an infinite whole was created and the beholder could relax and meditate” (pgs. 85-86). When I look at the painting, I feel overwhelmed and enveloped by warm, welcoming colors. The rich, swirling tones of this painting capture the eye and speak to a sense of nostalgia. I wonder if the color explosion isn’t a peak into Monet’s artistic eye, as I can almost see the movement and flow of the hues as they would flow through the artist.
Josh Coats
ReplyDelete3. After the death of his wife, he went through a bout of depression. He eventually found solace in his garden and began to paint again. Monet didn't give into the whims of being famous. He surrounded himself with family and truly did what HE wanted to do. The book also talks bout Monet is somewhat of a cynical sense too. The critics who once seemed to mock him turned into the subject Monet's mockery.
4. Poppy Field in a Valley near Giverny, 1885
This image struck me the first time I saw it immediately. It sort of has an optical illusion appeal; the closer I look at it, the more the colors seem to run together, and the further away I look at it the more "details" I see. I thumbed through the book before I actually read the book and the image struck me as stunning as soon as I saw it. However, after reading the book, I would have never though of the flowers as "bearers of light." Monet saw flowers in this sense and it's very evident in this painting.
Stephanie Callen
ReplyDelete3. How does the book describe Monet in later life? What kind of man was he? Did worldly success affect his art—did it make him soft? Or did he refuse to ‘sell out’ and remain pretty much as he was, just even more so (since money allowed him to do it)?
Monet didn't care what others thought of him. He didn't really like people and preferred solitude in his garden. He was even said to be ill-tempered. I think Monet remained pretty much the same even after his success. All his life, he painted what he wanted to paint.
4. Which of the paintings in this book is your favorite and why? What do you ‘see’ in this painting which makes it personal or meaningful to you? Would you have responded so strongly to this painting before you read the book/took the class—or did one (or both) help you connect to it?
I like the painting "View of Menton from Cap Martin" pg. 64. It looks like the most peaceful place to me with the mountains in the background. I would love to take a walk through the arch in the trees. It seems so serene. I didn't know anything about art or Monet before this class so I would say it helped me connect.
Stormee Chestra.
ReplyDelete3. After the death of his wife I feel like he become a bit emotional not in the sense of crying or anything, but that his feelings came out in his paintings. Monet didn't care what others thought of him at all and liked to rather stay by himself.
4. The one I liked best was Waterily Pond. If I hadn't read the book I probably wouldn't understand how delicate he was on the colors of the scenery in it.
Ashley Barnes
ReplyDelete3. I agree that Monet was content later in his life, it obviously took some time for him to get there as he went through not being inspired and then he went to traveling. I feel that he found his way back to his art through traveling on his own. Monet continued to paint whatever he wanted and what he saw, and would do anything necessary to get the picture he wanted. He manipulated his own garden that became his inspiration and life's work. I don't feel that the money changed him but just allowed him to focus on his art rather than focus on providing and making a living for his family.
4. My favorite painting would be Irisis in the Artist's Garden (79) I liked the way that Monet used every single color and yet it was still so bright, before reading this book I would have just thought it was just another pretty picture but after reading it I can see the hardwork and all of the effort that went in to making a painting especially this one. I now know to look at his use of colors and light and to see what he was trying to show us.
Weston Haynes
ReplyDelete3.)After the death of Camilla, Monet went through a brief period of grief and sorrow, but you really couldn't tell from his paintings in his later years, even though there was an evident change in his artistic prow. Monet was still inspired despite losing his main muse(his wife). He took nature and painted it the way he wanted to see it. His traveling played a big part in his paintings because of the experiences he went through. Since Monet was ambitious, or at least in my opinion he was, I don't believe that he sold out at all. Maybe his later paintings at the time was underappreciated, but Monet did not paint to please his admirers, but to make his visions and experiences come to life with his paintings.
4.)The Pyramid de Port-Coton (1886) would probably be my favorite painting so far from Monet. The detail in the ocean and the giant rocks make the painting seem like it is in motion. Only two main colors are in this painting, but Monet paints it so beautifully. I love the ocean, and especially the waves. In this painting you can see the waves beginning to rise, and the water brushing up against the rocks. The painting is very unique, and even if I had not know Monet was the person who painted this, I would still be very intrigued by this very unique painting.
Cristian C. Nazario Cruz
ReplyDelete3. Monet was very depressed after his wife death, he started painting in his garden and also he start painting more the nature with out people. He lost his wife, that’s mean he lost his model. Monet was very decided if he saw something interesting he will painted no matter what. I think Monet didn't sell his painting because he lost the most important person in his life, so I think the only thing that was able to replace a little bit was his painting.
4. My favorite painting is Waterily Pond, I like how he reflect the sky in the water. When I looked the painting for the first time, I saw pretty colors and a blurry painting, but after read the book I understood the why the painting is like that.
Weston Haynes
ReplyDelete1.) Monet's pictures of his water lilies were very eye-popping to see. They featured many different colors, and bright ones at that. The water lilies stood out, and even though they didn't features of strict texture on the water lilies, they were very beautifully painted, and the bright colors and the detail of the water, which also had mixtures of colors such as purple and yellow, and blue made the paintings look very bright and colorish. Monet saw the paintings as reflections of his theories, and what he saw landscapes were to him. The way we view the world can be put to life. We can paint what we see, even if it isn't literally what we see. It can be what we want it to be, and that, in my opinion, is what Monet was trying to send to the world. Anything is possible with art.
3. Monet was never quite the same after Camille passed away. He became secluded, and mostly tended to his garden and paintings of his garden. He also began to lose his eyesight, and in a way the garden served as somewhat of a replacement for inspiration since his wife had passed away. He still kept to his visions, but was more to himself.