In the nineÂteen-twenÂties, as George Orwell rememÂbers it, “Paris was invadÂed by such a swarm of artists, writÂers, stuÂdents, diletÂtanÂti, sight-seers, debauchees and plain idlers as the world has probÂaÂbly nevÂer seen. In some quarÂters of the town the so-called artists must actuÂalÂly have outÂnumÂbered the workÂing popÂuÂlaÂtion.” Along stretchÂes of the Seine, “it was almost imposÂsiÂble to pick one’s way between the sketchÂing-stools.” LegitÂiÂmate or othÂerÂwise, these artists were genÂuine descenÂdants of Claude MonÂet, at least in the sense that the latÂter pioÂneered paintÂing en plein air, disÂtillÂing art directÂly from the world all around him.
“When artists had to grind their own pigÂments or buy paints conÂtained in fragÂile pig bladÂders,” says Evan “NerdÂwriter” Puschak in the video essay above, “it was much easÂiÂer to work in a stuÂdio. The advent of tubes of paint, like these flexÂiÂble zinc tubes inventÂed by John Rand in 1841, in which the paint would not dry out, enabled a portaÂbilÂiÂty that made outÂdoor paintÂing easy and feaÂsiÂble.” As usuÂal in moderÂniÂty, a develÂopÂment in techÂnolÂoÂgy enabled a develÂopÂment in culÂture, but to show what kind of posÂsiÂbilÂiÂties had been opened up took an artist of rare vision as well as rare brazenÂness: more specifÂiÂcalÂly, an artist like MonÂet.
“Obsessed, most of all, with light and colÂor, and the ways they regÂisÂter in the human mind,” MonÂet “rejectÂed the popÂuÂlar conÂvenÂtions of his time, which priÂorÂiÂtized line, colÂor, and blendÂed brushÂstrokes that conÂcealed the artist’s hand in favor of sevÂerÂal short, thick appliÂcaÂtions of solÂid colÂor placed side by side, largeÂly unblendÂed.” His paintÂings, which we now credÂit with launchÂing the ImpresÂsionÂist moveÂment, show us not so much colÂors as “colÂor relaÂtionÂships that seem to change and vibrate as your eye scans across the canÂvas.” But then, so does real life, whose conÂstantÂly changÂing light ensures that “every few minÂutes, we expeÂriÂence a subÂtly difÂferÂent colÂor palette.”
For Puschak, nowhere is MonÂet’s artisÂtic enterÂprise more clearÂly demonÂstratÂed than in the so-called “Haystacks.” The series conÂsists of 25 paintÂings depictÂing just what that name sugÂgests (and which, belongÂing to MonÂet’s neighÂbor in Giverny, were well placed to catch his eye), each paintÂed at a difÂferÂent time of day. Each image repÂreÂsents MonÂet’s attempt to capÂture the light colÂors just as he perÂceived them at a parÂticÂuÂlar moment, straight from nature. TakÂen togethÂer, they conÂstiÂtute “maybe the definÂiÂtive expresÂsion of the ImpresÂsionÂist moveÂment” — as well as a reminder that, haystack or water lily, we nevÂer truÂly set eyes on the same thing twice.
You can now purÂchase a copy of the NerdÂwriter’s new book, Escape into MeanÂing: Essays on SuperÂman, PubÂlic BenchÂes, and OthÂer ObsesÂsions.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
How to Paint Water Lilies Like MonÂet in 14 MinÂutes
Rare 1915 Film Shows Claude MonÂet at Work in His Famous GarÂden at Giverny
1923 PhoÂto of Claude MonÂet ColÂorized: See the Painter in the Same ColÂor as His PaintÂings
1,540 MonÂet PaintÂings in a Two Hour Video
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
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