In honor of Monet, my profile picture now is Camille Monet in garden, 1873. Camille was Monet’s first wife, mother of his children and until her death in 1879 one of his most often painted models.
Three days ago Remembrance Day was observed in memory of fallen soldiers during the World War I; since I haven’t shared anything on that day I thought that today, on Claude Monet’s birthday, I might share his Weeping Willows series, rather than some more famous ones - Monet started these during World War I, in which his younger son Michel participated. These weeping willows were a way Monet expressed personal homage to the fallen soldiers. Monet’s son returned safely. He was the one who upon Claude’s death in 1926 inherited Giverny, and then bequeathed it to the French Academy of Fine Arts.
I see less and less….I need to avoid lateral light, which darkens my colors. Nevertheless, I always paint at the times of day most propitious for me, as long as my paint tubes and brushes are not mixed up….I will paint almost blind, as Beethoven composed completely deaf. ― Claude Monet in 1921
It is too beautiful to be painted! It is untranslatable! ― Claude Monet
This year in May we went to Venice for the first time, some 104 years after Monet and his wife Alice made the same trip. By then he was 68 years old and although he traveled to Italy before, this was his first time visiting La Serenísima, which left him spell bounded - I’m afraid I will only bring back beginnings that will be nothing else but souvenirs for me , he said, only trials and beginnings.
On his birthday I have to share some of these, not only because we too fell under the spell of this truly incomparable city, but also because these days Venice is in grave peril, being 70 % under water, with tourists practically swimming on Piazza San Marco. How that looks you can see here http://goo.gl/5OsJx ; as for Monets - the whole trip was documented by Alice Monet who wrote extensive letters to her daughter about it, which were later published. As for these trials and beginningsas he called them, they were exhibited four years later - 100 years ago exactly - in Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris, after he retouched them. Paul Signac praised these works, calling them the highest expression of his art. As it is common with Monet and indeed with the Impressionists - these were done in series, with many motives repeating many times over. Enjoy :)
Happy birthday Claude Monet :)
See last year’s posts :
Monet family in Argentuil - by Manet, Renoir and Monet himself http://goo.gl/lG2tb
The Improvised Field Hospital , 1865 http://goo.gl/7zSEQ
Giverny http://goo.gl/eYK6T
Claude Monet par lui-même http://goo.gl/MYRpc
Claude Monet : two portraits by Renoir http://goo.gl/IBrSF
