Artists Magazine - USA (2019-10)

(Antfer) #1
ArtistsNetwork.com 59

Otherpaintingsfindhimtakingonthedelirious
dazzleofspringsunshine.InLandscapeinIleSaint-
Martin(opposite),a fieldawashinpoppiesgiveswayto
poplarsandhillsundera gloriouslyfreshbluesky.
Monetshiftstheredsandorangesinthepoppiesas
theyrecede,reducingthesaturationastheybecome
moredistant.
Monetencounteredevenmoreextraordinarymotifs
atBordighera,a resortontheItalianRiviera.The
StradaRomanaatBordighera(below)conjuresluxuriant
tropicalgardensencompassingsplendidvillaswiththe
peeksoftheMaritimeAlpsinthebackground.Itwasa
landscapethatMonetfoundalmostbeyondhispowers.
“...I’mgivingmyselfa hardtimeoverit asI haven’tyet
managedtocapturethecolorofthislandscape;”he
wrotetoAlice.“TherearemomentswhenI’mappalled
atthecolorsI’mhavingtouse.I’mafraidwhatI’m
doingisjustdreadful,andyetI reallyamunderstating
it;thelightissimplyterrifying.”

By this time in his career, Monet
had formed the habit of working on
multiple canvases so that he could
move from one to the next as the
light changed. This led quite naturally
to the development of series of paint-
ings focused on the same motif. His
first fully realized series featured
the humble haystack, and he spent
a year painting them near his home
in Giverny under all lighting effects
and in all types of weather.
An 1891 exhibition of the series
was a huge success, both critically
and financially, and from this time
forward, Monet’s finances improved
considerably. Subsequent series
included the views of Rouen Cathedral,
a line of poplar trees near his home

OPPOSITE
Landscape in Ile
Saint-Martin
(Paysage dans I’Île
Saint-Martin)
by Claude Monet
1881; oil on canvas,
28¾ x23⅝
PRIVATE COLLECTION


BELOW
The Strada Romana
at Bordighera
(Strada Romana
à Bordighera)
by Claude Monet
1884; oil on canvas,
26x32⅛
PRIVATE COLLECTION

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