Monet Studies Light
Lesson 5
When you study something, you look at it repeatedly. You look at it in different situations. Claude Monet (moh NAY) wanted to study how light affects the colors of things. He chose one object, like a haystack, and painted it at different times of the day and in many different weather conditions. He even painted it outdoors while it was snowing! He then studied rows of trees and a cathedral in the same way. He made many paintings. Later in his life he purchased land and created a fantastic garden. Monet urged his friends, other famous Impressionists, to get out of their dark studios and study objects directly.
Claude Monet Self-Portrait in his Atelier (Studio) . 1884. Photo Credit: Dover Publication Inc., NY.
Because light changes so quickly with the passing of a cloud or setting of the sun, he had to apply the paint with rapid strokes. Monet no longer mixed colors leisurely, but applied them hastily to the canvas. He could not take the time to paint the careful details that people were familiar with seeing in art. What developed was a loosely arranged tangle of brushstrokes that were so brilliant in color that when one stepped back, a beautiful picture appeared. The Impressionist’s method, largely developed by Monet, was a totally new way to paint!
This self-portrait shows Monet in front of his paintings and canvases. Since it is unfinished you can see how Monet starts his artwork by painting with lines.
What Makes a Monet a Monet?, a book by Richard Muhlberger, features twelve paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
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