Impressionism arose in France in the mid-nineteenth century, and Claude Oscar Monet is one of the pioneers of this revolutionary art movement. Claude Monet wrote some of the greatest masterpieces of Impressionism, and his work was revered by both critics and ordinary people. In this article we want to tell you about the best works of the great artist and master of his craft, namely - about the paintings of Monet and the most famous of them.
Camilla (1866)
This work, the first on which Claude Monet earned. This painting brought the artist 800 francs, at that time it was a lot of money for the artist. The canvas depicts the wife of a talented artist Camille Donsier. Camilla is depicted not only in this picture, the great creator wrote it in works entitled "Women in the Garden" and "On the Bank of the Seine."
Stroll. Lady with an Umbrella (1875)
This is also one of Claude Monet's early works. The painting depicts his first wife Camille Donsier with their eldest son, Jean. Camilla holds an umbrella, and it seems that she caught a glimpse of someone looking at her. The work “Walk. A lady with an umbrella ”is proof that the artist focused more on light and color, in contrast to lines and forms.
Paddling pool (1869)
At that time, the Frog was popular among the middle class for its bathing and boating. Claude Monet wrote on September 25, 1869: “I have a dream, a painting,“ The Frog ”, for which I made some bad sketches, but this is just a dream.”
Impression. The rising sun (1872)
This work is famous for giving the name to the impressionist movement and has now become the quintessential symbol of impressionism. Critics did not take it very well, and the term "Impressionist" was coined in a satirical review by Louis Leroy, in which he said that "the wallpaper in the embryonic state is more complete than this seascape." The impressionist movement, however, soon became so popular that it spread to both music and literature.
The theme of the work is the harbor of Le Havre in France. She is marked by very faint strokes that prompt, rather than determine, her. The artist used color as the main factor to capture the very essence of the landscape. An interesting point in this picture is that if you make a black and white photocopy, the sun will almost completely disappear.
San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk (1912)
In 1908, Claude Monet visited Venice. Since the city was repeatedly depicted by numerous artists, the creator was not going to draw. However, during his visit, he was fascinated by the sights of the city, and this called for his painting. The painter began a series of preliminary works, which he completed much later when he returned home. Among them was this canvas, which is also referred to as “Venice at Dusk” and which has become one of his most popular paintings. The painting is marked by a thin, light brushstroke and a masterful depiction of light and the movement of water.
Series of paintings "Haystack in Giverny"
A series of paintings "Haystack near Giverny" includes 25 paintings. The subject of the paintings is a haystack on a field near Monet's house in Giverny (France), which the painter noticed while walking in the countryside. The series is known for repeating the same scene in order to demonstrate differences in the perception of light at different times of the day, seasons and weather conditions. These paintings made Claude Monet the first artist to draw so many illustrations of the same subject.
Series of paintings "Poplars"
The famous cycle of works consists of 24 paintings, which depict magnificent trees along the banks of the river, a few kilometers from the house of Claude Monet. The artist worked on the island he bought, he got there in a small boat.
Series "Rouen Cathedral"
The famous series of works by the great artist of 30 paintings covers the facade of the Rouen Cathedral in France at different times of the day and seasons, demonstrating its changes with different lighting conditions. Studying these canvases, it is noted that Monet violated the tradition of painting and cut the subject so that only part of the facade was visible on the canvas. Painting the series was a difficult task for Claude Monet. He wrote: "The work is moving unstably, first of all, because every day I discover something that I did not see the day before ... In the end, I try to do the impossible." However, the painter was helped by his ability to mentally take a photo of the landscape and finish it later from memory.
Series “Parliament in London”
During his stay in London, Claude Monet wrote a series of works depicting the Palace of Westminster, the building of the British Parliament. All 19 paintings in the series of works are the same size and depict the same scene from the same angle, but they show a variety of weather conditions and different times of the day. One of the paintings in this series raised more than $ 20 million at an auction in 2004.
Series “Water Lilies”
The well-known series of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies was described as the Sistine Chapel of Impressionism. The series consists of approximately 250 oil paintings that were painted by the artist during the last thirty years of his life. They are now on display in museums around the world. One of the paintings in this series was sold for 41 million pounds at an auction in London in 2008.
The dazzling complexity of color and light in the Water Lilies cycle opens the viewer's eyes to the incredible diversity of nature and the depth and mystery of life that it supports. The amazing thing in these works is that the painter's vision was poor, as it deteriorated due to cataracts, while he was writing most of these masterpieces.
Director of Christie’s auction house and head of impressionism and contemporary art, said: “Claude Monet’s water lily paintings are among the most famous and famous works of the 20th century and have greatly influenced many artists of the next generation.”
Article author: Victoria Gorlacheva