Page 174 - A Selection Of European Art
P. 174
In the style of the French painter Édouard Manet (-1832
1883), the viewer can see the portrayal of everything ordinary,
the harmony between the fresh sense of reality and the ability
to reveal feelings about it. His painting, “Face of a Boy” (1867)
was drawn from reality and is characterized by a contemplative
view. He highlighted the side-drawn face. The artwork seems
peaceful and beautiful. As evident from his painting style, Manet
was influenced by the style of the Spanish painter Velázquez.
However, it is noticed that the painting does not lack originality
nor modernity. Among the exhibits is the famous French
Impressionist Claude Monet’s (1926-1840) painting, “Boats at
Rest, at Petit-Gennevilliers” (1874). It is an ideal example of
painting landscapes following Impressionism, in which color
is employed to create a direct impression of nature and to
emphasize light and atmosphere. He drew his themes directly
from nature, turning them with his brushstrokes on the surface
of the painting into color combinations, creating a self-sufficient
world, almost resembling abstracts. On drawing this painting,
Monet first began to solve the problem of composition: the
contradictory relations between the vertical lines of the masts
and the horizontal line of the opposite beach and the lines of
the hut. He then addressed the essence of the subject, which is
to capture the manipulation of light reflections on the surface of
the sea, and between the overcast skies. With strokes of a short
brush, he drew quickly with contrasting and unmixed colors
side by side, which brought life back to the water, after dividing
his color touches and reducing the shadow areas as much as
possible. This method allowed the artist to depict the effects of
light and atmosphere, which became a model for Impressionists.
The artist also showed skill in observing the rapid changes of
light. He used to paint the same subject at different hours of
the day, such as “The Water Lily Pond” painting (1899) drawn
among a series of paintings under the same name, providing an
artistic revelation of how the same subject, or the same reality,
can be seen, from multiple perspectives, through a distinct
artistic sensitivity. He aimed to study the effect of light and
atmospheric transformations on colors and to give importance
to the reflections and refractions of that light. Monet’s style
relied on intermittent touches with a flickering brush, to the
degree that he almost sacrificed the consistency of the objects
drawn; they turned into brilliant color veils that nothing left but
what resembles a fading memory of the subject in nature.
174
1883), the viewer can see the portrayal of everything ordinary,
the harmony between the fresh sense of reality and the ability
to reveal feelings about it. His painting, “Face of a Boy” (1867)
was drawn from reality and is characterized by a contemplative
view. He highlighted the side-drawn face. The artwork seems
peaceful and beautiful. As evident from his painting style, Manet
was influenced by the style of the Spanish painter Velázquez.
However, it is noticed that the painting does not lack originality
nor modernity. Among the exhibits is the famous French
Impressionist Claude Monet’s (1926-1840) painting, “Boats at
Rest, at Petit-Gennevilliers” (1874). It is an ideal example of
painting landscapes following Impressionism, in which color
is employed to create a direct impression of nature and to
emphasize light and atmosphere. He drew his themes directly
from nature, turning them with his brushstrokes on the surface
of the painting into color combinations, creating a self-sufficient
world, almost resembling abstracts. On drawing this painting,
Monet first began to solve the problem of composition: the
contradictory relations between the vertical lines of the masts
and the horizontal line of the opposite beach and the lines of
the hut. He then addressed the essence of the subject, which is
to capture the manipulation of light reflections on the surface of
the sea, and between the overcast skies. With strokes of a short
brush, he drew quickly with contrasting and unmixed colors
side by side, which brought life back to the water, after dividing
his color touches and reducing the shadow areas as much as
possible. This method allowed the artist to depict the effects of
light and atmosphere, which became a model for Impressionists.
The artist also showed skill in observing the rapid changes of
light. He used to paint the same subject at different hours of
the day, such as “The Water Lily Pond” painting (1899) drawn
among a series of paintings under the same name, providing an
artistic revelation of how the same subject, or the same reality,
can be seen, from multiple perspectives, through a distinct
artistic sensitivity. He aimed to study the effect of light and
atmospheric transformations on colors and to give importance
to the reflections and refractions of that light. Monet’s style
relied on intermittent touches with a flickering brush, to the
degree that he almost sacrificed the consistency of the objects
drawn; they turned into brilliant color veils that nothing left but
what resembles a fading memory of the subject in nature.
174
