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“A lot of people laughed when they saw this set; but I felt a tinge in my heart. These artists called themselves subversives, Impressionists; they took canvases, paints and brushes, just put a few colors together, and they Sign the whole picture… This may be a terrible example of human vanity, who loses themselves in madness…” This was reported by Le Figaro at the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876. At that time, a Monet painting might fetch 125 euros (about $134), but few paintings would sell. Monet fought desperately against parochial critics and the public. He waited nearly 20 years for recognition; in fact, at one point he nearly committed suicide due to poverty and failure.
In this painting, Monet cruises the Seine in a boat and captures his subject from there. The result is of course not “realistic”. The topography of the area is easy to determine; one could even describe the industrial setting by the standards of the era; although it is not a regular Rouen cityscape with its magnificent cathedral, but a view only seen from a boat small portion. In the foreground, the grey-green Seine stretches across the width of the frame, and the boat is in the river but slightly skewed, probably because the bank appears on the left edge of the frame. Like the old-fashioned composition, a brig directs the eye to the center, the town, and other ships, but the outlines of the town are blurred in the haze. Similar to Pissarro, Monet strongly rhythms and dissolves the horizon, making water and clouds more important.
After 1894 Monet finally gained recognition, becoming famous with his later paintings of water lilies. Monet’s exalted status today is due to popular recognition of the pictorial principles he developed in his later works, making him a forerunner of modernism.
Thanks to the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe for sharing today’s painting with us.
Side note: Claude Monet often painted a series of works on the same subject , including the iconic Rouen Cathedral. <3
If you want to learn more about Monet’s struggle for fame and recognition, check out our Mega Impressionism course !
50.5 × 65.5 cm
Impressionism
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
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