art history 3pgs 5 hrs no reference can’t search online

Claude Monet’s Legacy By Elina Itugot

Born on 14 November 1840, Oscar-Claude Monet was a revolutionary painter

who founded the Impressionist movement that started modern art as we know it today.

His stylistic techniques were one that was opposed and misunderstood by traditional

artists of his time, stating that his masterpieces looked unfinished sketches, hence the

term ‘impressionistic.’ These techniques included the use of yellow-violet contrast, the

application of visible brushstrokes, and the standard of capturing natural light that

conveys different times of day and mood of certain scenarios.

At the height of the industrial revolution, the availability of hundreds of new colors

for paint and the invention of photography as well as motion picture, created a new

perspective on life and the idea of capturing its moments. Unlike the typical use of art to

portray important historical, mythological and religious figures, Monet took advantage of

his era’s new technology to capture people in daily life. His use of color broke the

barrier of centuries of burnt umber hues, replacing it with striking yellows and violets,

that are especially not found in early 19th century photography or silent films. He

believed that color will make art modern and so it did, as his name became famous

across continents, often being criticized by critics for its odd nature. This however, did

not dismay the artist for he even embraced the insult “impressionistic,” and used as a

standard for his works. He wanted to push for the use of color to convey images of

daily life that are captured as impressions of a fleeting moment. This theme was heavily

implemented into Monet’s career, as seen by his constant use of contrasts, which also

included orange-blue and red-green.

Another notable technique that Monet turned into his signature style is his use of

brushstrokes. Again, this characteristic incredibly differed from the art before him.

Instead of focusing on blending and making objects appear hyper-realistic, he used

different textures and different sizes of brushstrokes that do not necessarily represent

the accurate surface of his subjects, but successfully portrays distance and movement

in his compositions. This technique is proven to be another fascination for the artist as

he kept experimenting with different looks, which soon in his later years, shows a hint of

abstract style in his work, confirming his disinterest in accurate portrayal and love for the

natural disfiguration of environmental settings.

Lastly, Monet’s portrayal of natural daily life is made possible by his decision to

opt out of painting in studios and using the outdoors instead. His passionate quest for

capturing light and shadow turned him into the art world’s most famous plein air artist.

Not only did he venture upon rural and urban settings, but he did so on multiple

occasions, creating a number of paintings of the same subject, from the same place, but

on different times of the day. This shows Monet’s immense talent for creating variations

and giving different themes from just one source. His famous serieses: Poplars,

Haystack and Rouen Cathedral, all make for good studies when it comes to the

relationship of light and shadow, as well as the portrayal of weather, mood and

atmospheric perspective.

To conclude, Claude Monet is one of the most important artists in history. His

revolutionary use of color to create complementary contrasts, his varying brushstrokes

that devolve from traditional blendings, and his push for going out of studios to capture

the fleeting moment before him, started modern art as we know it. His legacy lives on

as his name rings with color and his techniques continue to be incorporated in art.