A few weeks ago, I visited the Museum of Modern Art, one of the most famous museums in all of New York City which features the work of many different renowned artists. I saw the infamous Starry Nigh tby Vincent Van Gogh and the work of Charles White whose exhibition, A Revelation, our class received a guided tour of. Among these incredibly famous works is Claude Monet’s Water Lilies which attracted a rather sizable crowd of people in front of it. Personally, I was very intrigued and fascinated by this particular piece. I have known about the Water Lilies exhibit before coming to the museum but it was particularly enamoring to see some of the paintings from the series in person. Claude Monet’s work, which was inspired by his own gardens and lily pond, showcases the beauty of nature through utilizing an array of color and distinctive brush strokes.
One of the paintings that stood out to me was Agapanthus, which illustrates purple flowers in a calm blue pond. The use of the different shades of blue and green makes the water seem like it is rippling and creates an atmosphere of calm and serenity. Looking at the painting, I could imagine Monet admiring the flowers in his pond and being inspired by their beauty. Another work that stood out to me was The Japanese Footbridge which incorporated the use of red, yellow, and orange colors rather than the greens and blues found in most of Monet’s other works. The image comprised of large distinctive strokes which blended together and created the outline of a footbridge. This artwork really intrigued me because from a distance the image only seemed like a blur of color but as I got closer I could make out the shape of a bridge in the center of the painting. Monet’s work beautifully combines color and the technique of impressionism to create memorable visuals of nature.
Claude Monet was one of the most prolific artists in history, particularly in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. He is praised by many as the founding artist of the style of painting known as impressionism, a style practiced by some of the most famous artists in history such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh. Claude Monet started out as a sketch artist but despite being talented at creating sketches, he was unsatisfied with the methods and quality of teaching at traditional art academies and eventually became a student of Swiss artist Charles Gleyre who taught him to put more emphasis on light in his art through distinctive brush strokes. Monet developed the concept of portraying the scenes’ changing qualities which is the founding principle of impressionism, a style in which the artist’s impression of the scene is captured rather than the actual scene. This technique is a particularly influential innovation in art as it set the stage for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh. Impressionist works like the Water Lilies continue to be recognized and attract masses of people each year.
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies are incredible paintings that combine a more modern technique with the traditional beauty of nature. Looking at the different images made me think about how Monet was expertly able to capture the beauty of his garden in a way that can live through his paintings forever and be admired by people for generations to come.
