Cisley

Author: Mu Zi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features:
Claude Monet was born in Paris in 1839. Both of his parents were British, but he spent his entire life in France. His father was a businessman in London and Paris, and the family was wealthy. His mother was passionate about music and literature, which greatly influenced Monet's temperament. When Monet grew up, his father asked him to help with the business. During this time, he diligently studied the paintings of Turner and Constable. Starting in 1860, Monet broke away from classical painting techniques and learned to paint under the guidance of the Barbizon landscape painters, using light and delicate colors to depict forest and rural scenes, especially the poetic and soft landscapes of Corot, which deeply impressed Monet. He loved the ethereal scenes shrouded in thin mist, giving them a melancholic mood. He believed that Corot's technique was very close to his own temperament. His paintings reveal some characteristics of early Impressionist landscape paintings. Monet was a refined and quiet person, and because his works were not numerous, historical records of him are less detailed than those of other Impressionist painters. Although he remained committed to the Impressionist path, he accepted fewer of the highly subjective elements of Impressionist painting. In his depictions of light, he maintained his unique sense of realism, vitality, and variety. Like Monet, he sensitively captured the whispers of leaves and the shimmer of water waves, but he was better at preserving the structure of landscapes than Monet, avoiding the transformation of scenes into fleeting reflections of color and light. In his paintings, shapes were strict and did not dissolve into the air—trees were trees, houses were houses. He believed that landscape paintings should have a literary quality, with each painting evoking a sense of perfection. He avoided any strong or rough effects, instead expressing his tranquil life through infinite poetic charm. He suffered a fate similar to that of other Impressionist painters: poverty, hunger, solitude, and obscurity. He was not lacking in talent, but his life was filled with misfortune, without any thrilling adventures. He expressed his feelings through transparent tones, depicting the warm sunlight, gray skies, shimmering rivers, and warm-toned snow. His brushwork was not bold, and he used a meticulous realistic technique to show the subtle light and shadows he perceived. Although the subjects in his paintings were few, his works spoke softly. As he said, "In my lifetime, I have rarely seen such rich and beautiful flood scenes in the works of other painters. It is an extraordinary masterpiece." Instead of depicting the (floods), Monet painted a "Venetian landscape," showcasing poetic scenes through different seasons, weather, and natural phenomena.