For this final assignment, I've chosen to discuss various paintings by renowned, French impressionist, Claude Monet. Learning about his life and the time that he lived through, I found the history behind his paintings so intriguing and filled with emotion, I really wanted to delve further into his life and the meaning behind some of his greatest work. To begin my visual analysis, I will first discuss Rue de la Bavole, Honfleur (1864), which I found to be unlike many of his earlier paintings. Appearing to be an oil on canvas painting, Monet uses a lot of colour and contrast, something which he has generally avoided with many of his paintings, in my opinion. Most likely a city street of France, the image depicts several individuals out in the street, all facing away from the viewer. The tight buildings create a very warm feel and invite the viewer on the beautiful day. The second image, Hotel des roches noires, Trouville (1870), depicts a busy street next to a hotel on the seaside. It shows busy patrons enjoying the beautiful weather. The light brushstrokes add to the simplicity and brightness of the painting. Furthermore, probably the most striking aspect of this image are the flags which crowd the painting. Painted from an angle looking up at the sky, the viewer is forced to see the tall standing flags in the sky. The third image I chose is Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and her Son (1875). From all the paintings I browsed of Monet's, I realized Monet has almost always avoided painting people into his work. If he ever does, he generally avoids putting in too much detail, like in the first Image. In this image, he has put much detail into his wife and shown the full body and even her dress, likely to capture her beauty. This is a prime example of his master skill at work and his use of impressionism. The bright brushstrokes likely reveal the beaming sunlight on the beautiful day. The fourth image is Water Lillies and Japanese Bridge (1899), one of Monet's most famous works of art. Being known for his oil paintings of nature, this painting serves as another masterpiece of his technique, scene through the details in the vegetation surrounding the bridge. His brush strokes and use of such dark colours make this painting really powerful and really makes the painting feel flooded. The fifth image I've chosen to discuss is Water Lillies (1916), one of Monet's more recent paintings. This painting uses more vibrant colours than the last. In this painting, Monet chooses to focus more deeply on the lillies and the water to show a more serene and peaceful environment. These images all play important roles in the course concepts through Monet's use of depth and perception, the use of colours, and even photographic truth. Image's 2 and 3 are perfect examples of his use of depth and perception to show the buildings fade down the street. It really allows the viewer to get a 3-dimensional feel and make the viewer feel as if he or she is in the picture. His use of contrast in images 3 and 5 is striking as he decides to focus on different objects in each image. His portrayl of his wife in Image 1 is excellent and makes the whole painting feel so real as he is able to capture the naturalness of the wind blowing her dress and the shadow she casts.
