This paper examines one of Monet’s landscapes, and relates it to an observation by Charles Baudelaire.
IIntroduction
Impressionism is a style of painting in which the artist seeks to create an “impression” of what he sees; it is not a literal rendering. Impressionist works have a “dreamy” quality that comes from the hazy aspects of the paintings: light dances on water; haystacks shimmer in the sun; the houses of Parliament are wrapped in fog. “The impressionists … used bright, unmodulated colors, applied in bold, irregular brush strokes on a light-tinted canvas. Their deft application of paint created the appearance of spontaneity, as if their images were captured in a single moment.” (“The Impressionists at Argenteuil,” PG).
The paintings in general are very well-liked, and Monet is probably the most popular of all the Impressionists.
These works were often considered “quick studies” for more complex paintings that the artists would complete later in their studio. Monet was the first to exhibit these so-called “sketches” as finished works. (Claude Monet Jigsaw Book, p. 1).
This paper examines one of Monet’s works, “The Poppy Field.”
II“The Poppy Field”
“The Poppy Field” is Monet’s impression of a summer’s day in Argenteuil. The thing that strikes the viewer first about the painting is the composition. The trees at the left provide a strong vertical contrast to the sweeping field of flowers that makes up the rest of the picture; in addition, their deep green leaves make a strong statement when compared to the field grasses. The grasses themselves appear as a light brown, with some green, almost as if they were drying out. The poppies of the title are no more than a half-dozen spots of bright red color near the center bottom of the composition. Finally, the sky appears in various shades of the hazy blues one sees in summer; it is filled with white, fluffy clouds.
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A new work on impressionism can t claim to throw new light on a subject, which has been repeatedly and thoroughly discussed and written about. Attitudes toward and ideas about art, like everything else, undergo changes, modifications, and shifts of emphasis. Today, we look upon the impressionists not only as revolutionaries who defied the academic traditions of their age, not only as the ...
Monet has constructed the work so that the trees and the ground “frame” the sky. Although the field takes up the largest part of the canvas, its darker hues cause it to recede, while the white in the clouds brings them forward. The medium field and the dark trees draw the viewer’s eye first to the sky. From there, the eye travels to the left, down the trees, and only then does it come to rest on the field itself. One would think that because there are people in the field, that would be the most important spot, but it’s not. Rather, it seems as though the people are relatively unimportant, and that unimportance is powerfully illustrated by the fact that they are so small in comparison to the vastness of the sky overhead.
The insignificance of man is illustrated again by the three figures in the painting: the boy in the foreground waving to us, and what appear to be two women far in the background. They may be the boy’s mother and aunt, but we cannot tell. What is apparent, however, is how small they are compared to the landscape; like the boy, they seem almost overwhelmed by nature.
Finally, the secondary nature of man in the composition is indicated by the fact that the boy has no facial features. There is not even a suggestion of where the eyes, nose and mouth should go. He is merely a shape in a straw hat, standing amid the poppies in the sunlight.
The brushstrokes appears to be dabbed on quickly, as if Monet wanted to get the scene on canvas before the clouds blew away. This technique is typical of all impressionist works; the painters who pioneered this school were striving for a feeling of spontaneity, as discussed above.
The colors are the greens, blues, yellows and browns of high summer, but they seem slightly muted, or perhaps they are somewhat “bleached out” by the sunlight. The picture perfectly captures the feeling of a summer day.
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For my field work project, I chose to do an observation of a public high school and a private high school. The schools I decided to observe were Tottenville Public High School and The Francis School, both of which are located in demographically similar neighborhoods. The purpose for choosing two schools with similar characteristics was to have schools with equal social and economical factors ...
With regard to the relationship between the painting and Baudelaire’s observation, I think “The Poppy Field” is a wonderful reflection of the vastness of life, but not perhaps of the energy of a crowd. It is instead a reflection of the immensity of nature and the irrelevance of man when compared to the forces of the natural world. If we wish to discuss a Monet in which the energy comes from man, not from his surroundings, then it might be worthwhile to take a look at “Garden at Sainte-Adresse.”
In this work, there is a great deal of movement: the wind whips the pennants overhead; there are whitecaps on the sea; the smoke from the ships’ smokestacks is blowing away; and the sky seems to be darkening as a storm moves in. Even more important, however, is the fact that the human figures in this painting dominate it. The background is compelling, but we are even more interested in what the people are doing. There is a couple seated in a garden, observing a couple standing next to the railing, beyond which is the sea. The viewer’s eye is led first to the white umbrella of the seated woman, then to the white dress of the girl who’s standing next to the fence. We then come back to the strong contrast between the sunlight and shadow that lie across the garden, and when we do, we also become interested in the seated man. The other man is the least interesting of the four figures, but the point is that they are the focus of the painting. Somehow Monet has invested these figures with an energy that makes them the illustration of Baudelaire’s comments, despite the fact that so much is happening around them.
IIIConclusion
Monet’s works are justly famous, not only because they are so finely done, but because of what he was trying to do. It’s well known that he painted an entire series of pictures of water lilies, and another of haystacks. He did that not because he was dissatisfied with the works, but because he was fascinated by the way the changes in light over the course of the day – and at different times of the year – changed the appearance of the subject. Such an inspired, pains-taking and innovative painter deserves a careful study.
IVReferences
Claude Monet Jigsaw Book. Noble Park, Victoria, Australia: The Five Mile Press, 2002.
Monet, Claude. Garden at Sainte-Adresse. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The Essay on Comparison Of Avant-Garde & Formal Art Work
A Comparison of Formal and Avant-Garde Artwork Modern art is a unique creation all it’s own, and since it’s beginnings there have been two very distinct groups present. They are the Formalists and the Avant-Garde. The Formalist group believes in the literal representation of the art work. They value the form used, whether it be how the colors are stressed or the techniques used, over the idea ...
_____________. The Poppy Field. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
“The Impressionists at Argenteuil.” The National Gallery of Art [Web site]. 2003. Accessed: 8 May 2003. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/impr_tech.htm
