Claude Monet was born on November 14th, 1840 in Paris, France, and was the son of Adolph Monet, who was a grocer. He moved to Normandy Coast at five years old. While on the coast, Monet gained a knowledge of nature and the sea. At fifteen, Monet began to sell caricatures which were “carefully observed and well drawn” (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). Monet’s first move to drawing scenery came through sketches of sailing ships, which were “almost technical in their clear discriptiveness” (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). At the encouragement of his family, Monet began to study with a local artist, although he did not truly embrace painting until he met Eugene Boudin, who was responsible for introducing Monet to the concept of painting in open air (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). Monet’s first visit to Paris was in 1859/1860, where he as impressed with and would be influenced by the works of Barbizon School Painters such as Charles Daubigny. There, he enrolled at the Academie Suisse, where he met the woman who would become his wife, Camille Pissarro. Monet’s call to art was interrupted in 1861 by a call to military service in Algeria. In 1862, Monet returned to Le Havre, possibly due to an illness he faced (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). There, he began painting the seas once again with Boudin. Monet fronted the movement of Impressionism. Impressionism was characterized by fragmenting brush strokes. Toward the beginning of this stage of his artistic life, Monet focused on peaceful, domestic scenes of his wife, son, and the gardens. As he advanced through his Impressionism, Monet began to implement his radical view of nature through his paintings, such as The Beach at Sainte-Adresse. The first precursors to impressionist art were regarded to by Monet as “bad sketches” (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). In an effort to avoid being in the military once again, Monet left his wife and son in Le Havre and went to London. As Monet aged, he began to paint one motif under different light and weather. The movement of Impressionism began to fade, but Monet continued the style throughout the rest of his life. Toward the end of his life, Monet’s family moved to a farmhouse in Giverny, where Monet spent the rest of his life. The last journeys Monet took were to paint the River Thames, the Waterloo and Charing Cross Bridges, and the Houses of Parliament (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). These final paintings by Monet translated a much less clear subject matter, and rather included “exotic coloration and romantic mood” (Seitz, William C. “Claude Monet.”). These did not rely on the subject of the painting, and they appeared to be hidden behind a haze or fog. The final years of Monet’s life were spent painting the water lilies in his back yard. The water lilies were a series of 250 paintings of the bridge and lilies in the backyard of his farmhouse. Monet died on December 5, 1926 at his home in Giverny.
A specific work of Monet which was Characteristic of his younger years was the Luncheon on the Grass (1867). This painting employs longer brushstrokes than his later art, still holds some characteristics of Impressionism, has shorter brushstrokes than some later artists (he does not try to hide them), makes use of warmer colors and has more distinct subject matter. One which is more Characteristic of his middle years was the Impression Sunrise (1872), which employs Cooler colors, less clear subject matter, more of an ‘idea’ of the subject rather than the subject itself, shorter, more random brush strokes, more characteristic of Impressionism. In his later years, he focused on painting the waterlilies, which is a set of approx 250 paintings, tend to be more varieties in color than some of the more impressionist pieces, maintains short brush strokes, although still tending to be cooler and lighter in tone and color. Monet had an impact on the world of art both in his time and in the world of art after his death. He fronted the Impressionist movement, and he changed the method of painting and art in the late 1800’s. Monet is a commonly referenced and well known artist of the Impressionist movement, and his colors and products are admired by many.
Monet’s final paintings had an impact on me, as they are full of emotion and are striking in a way that most other paintings are not. They have cool colors and are characterized by short, abrupt brush strokes and unclear, faded subject matters. The later paintings of cityscapes hold a look that is unreal and ethereal. The painting Parliament, Effect of Fog, in particular struck me. The buildings and their reflections on the water look as if there is soft filter over them, covering them from the eyes and filtering the scene. The scene which is painted looks like it is from a dream, rather than from reality.
Claude Debussy was also an important artist within Impressionism. Born on August 22, 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, Debussy grew up in the midst of the Impressionist movement in art. By this time, Monet was also in France, studying art at the Academie Suisse. In his childhood, Debussy played piano and had already shown an interest and talent for music by the age of nine. Monet grew up in a poverty stricken area of Paris, and was confronted throughout most of his childhood with situations, both physically and emotionally, that challenged him (Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy: Paul Roberts). One of the influences of his early work was Blanche Vasnier, the wife of an architect (Lockspeiser, Edward. “Claude Debussy.”).Even before Debussy entered the world of composition and writing, he was encouraged by Madame Maute de Fleurville (Lockspeiser, Edward. “Claude Debussy.”) to pursue his music. Debussy eventually went on to study composition and piano at the Paris Conservatory. In his time at the Conservatory, Debussy won an award, the Grand Prix de Rome, for his piece The Prodigal Child (Lockspeiser, Edward. “Claude Debussy.”). Debussy moved to the Villa Medici in Rome as a result of his award. This was meant to facilitate his creativity and allow him to continue to make his art in an ideal location and situation. Regardless of what this was meant to offer Debussy, he soon returned to France, as well as to the woman who had inspired many of his earliest works. Even after his childhood, Debussy’s life was haunted by indulgence and suffering. He struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide through his young adult years, and he was associated with several women throughout this time, only one of which was his wife, Rosalie. She shot herself, though not fatally, and one other mistress of Debussy threatened suicide (Lockspeiser, Edward. “Claude Debussy.”). Through Debussy’s years, he developed an infatuation with poetry and with the idea of a symphonic poem. This would influence Debussy’s subject matter and his. Through this, Debussy began to break new ground in his writing, and eventually began to write Operas. Debussy was focused on gathering experience to write, and he wanted to experience everything his mind could experience. Debussy, in his later years, divorced and remarried the mother of his daughter. At this time he began to write focused towards youth and children (Lockspeiser, Edward. “Claude Debussy.”). In these pieces, he has insight into a child’s mind, and has the ability to write from the joyful perspective of youth.
The piece Clare De Lune is characteristic of Debussy’s early style. It is characteristically sensitive and gentle in style, and the piece is precise and specific in its style. The emotions which are portrayed by Clare De Lune are both sensitive and melancholy, although they are peaceful. A piece characteristic of his middle age is La Damoiselle élue (1888), which shows his infatuation with storytelling through music, and his ability to work with writers and poets to create a symphonic poem. Characteristic of his later years, Debussy wrote La Boîte à joujoux (1919), a ballet (literally meaning “a box of toys”).
One piece of Debussy’s that specifically struck me was Clare De Lune. This piece is what encouraged me to pick this time period. Clare De Lune was my grandfather’s favorite piece of music, and because of that, each of his grandchildren have learned it. My eldest brother played that piece at my grandfather’s funeral when I was nine years old. Due to the sentimentality of Clair De Lune, and my own connection with that piece, I have always felt a sense of connection to the importance of Debussy to modern art and modern music.
The impressionist movement is one which has a profound emotional effect, and which turns the
World of art upside down. The abrupt sensitivity which characterizes is an oxymoron, and while it is unexpected, it manages to make sense. The artists of this time broke ground in their painting and their writing. They paint something connected to the human experience, while also connected to a dream of humanity and experience.