Claude Monet by Brooke E

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Claude Monet

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BY ENUKI AND BROOKE

Date of birth: Nov 14 1840
Date of death: Dec 5 1926
Nationality: Paris, France
Contributions to the art world: one of the artists who founded Impressionism and his artwork influenced modern artists today.

He was inspired by a person called Eugene Boudin. He was a painter who liked to paint at the beach and one day he invited Monet to come and draw with him. Boudin believed that Monet could go further with his art and paint instead of just drawing the caricatures he always did and told him to create real art which at the time Monet didn’t understand. Boudin took Monet to Honfleur saying that he wanted him to “see the light” and they painted the view of huge white clouds against the rich blue skies that shifted the rays of sunlight which dawned down on the rocks and the field below. They painted the wonderful scene together and suddenly Monet understood what he had meant about real art. This lead him to paint the way he does now. So Boudin was his inspiration.

First painting (impression sunrise) He includes simple and short brushstrokes in his artworks to maintain ease.
When objects are more distant in real life they appear more blue. Unlike most artist who paint the atmosphere softly Monet attacks it with short and choppy strokes.
When the light he sees is soft he paints to match its intensity and when it is harsh he paints aggressively.
Monet only uses a small variety of colours in which he does not add to when starting a new painting.
He paints a light canvas such as white, light grey or light yellow and then fills it with opaque colours using thin layers of paint over another shade to allow the lower layer to come through and be visible.

Second painting (Antibes seen from the Plateau Notre-Dame). In the first painting you can see short and choppy strokes which are similar to in the second painting and many of his other paintings. He paints a variety of different things so neither of the paintings are that similar to other paintings.
When you look at the first painting your eyes are drawn to the sun straight a way and then they start to take in the boat and the reflections on the water. In this painting it’s sunrise and clearly the people in the boat are out very early. There are people in the artwork but only on the boat so it’s hard to see their facial expressions.
In the second panting the art work focuses on the tree since all the other components are less detailed and most are further away. It’s almost as if the painting is through the trees perspective since the object is so close up. No people are shown in this painting however it does convey a sense of peace and serenity from the light and appealing colours and the way everything is set out. Like every one of Monet’s paintings this one has an unclear view yet that technique is clear enough for us to realise the subject, the elements, the scenery and a lot more. This art work doesn’t seem to be a very dramatic painting or one that has an important message behind but it does have a meaning and sometimes his paintings are ones that try to calm someone and release a bit of stress in their mind.

In the first painting there is a sun rising and reflecting on the water where there is a boat. As far as we can tell it isn’t cropped and nothing has been left out. In some versions of this painting you can see the brush strokes quite clearly and they look harsh and kind of choppy. The whole painting is a rather depressed colour but the bright sun and the reflection give a splash of colour.
In the second painting we can see the view of a few far away building situated near a lake with the art work drawing more attention on the tree towards the left. He uses a technique where he blurs the scene in a way that makes it more engaging which is very clear to us. Some areas have more light whilst others don’t have as lively shades. He incorporates different hues and mixes them with others to either help it gain more attention or lower its clarity.

In the first painting the colours are sort of dull and don’t stand out except for the sun and it’s reflection, so naturally your eyes are first drawn to the sun. It could represent depression with a little bit of hope in the colour of the sun. If the colours were changed it could completely change the effect of the painting. It would seem less like a sunrise and more like a random mix of colours with less meaning.
With the second the variety of colour is mainly used in the tree to make it stand out and really show more depth and reality towards it. Colour can change our thoughts on whether the painting is realistic or just random but it can also help us understand the setting better. For example if the tree were to be white then we would think that it was winter and snow was falling in the tree. Colour also conveys emotion. Some are more appealing to the eyes, some can be irritating and some can be boring and gloomy. Using such colours on a painting is a way of making the viewer understand the messages within the painting and the feeling it shows. If the colours were to be replaced by another weird shade then people could become confused since painting mainly reflects on reality and the beauty of it or even the angry and depressing perspectives of it.