Author Archives: JENNIFER SEEGOBIN

The Path through the Irises by Claude Monet

I selected a painting by the French painter Claude Monet, titled The Path through the Irises (1914-17). Monet was a key figure in Impressionism, which is a style of art that was developed in France during the 19th century. This painting was made by Monet using oil paint on canvas, and it shows iris flowers lining a path up to his house and Japanese bridge on his property in Giverny, which is a village in Normandy, France.

This piece of art reflects the aesthetic preferences that are associated with Modernism because it is in the Impressionism style of art. Impressionist paintings are typically characterized by short, loose, and repetitive brush strokes. These brush strokes come together to form the impression of what the artist intended to capture. The aim of this Modernist style of art is to capture the act of perceiving nature on the canvas. In Monet’s The Path through the Irises, he wanted to capture one’s perception of the flowers along this path, which is clear once the observer views the painting in its entirety, from a slight distance.

I encountered this painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was initially drawn to the piece because I was on the look-out for an Impressionist painting for this assignment, and I noticed the brush strokes as being Impressionist. Upon looking at the plaque next to the painting, I saw that it was Monet. This wasn’t a surprise because I have seen some of the artist’s Water Lilies paintings, which are also Impressionist. I think it’s so interesting to see how in this painting, and other Impressionist paintings, the brush strokes don’t make it clear to the observer what the painting is portraying until they view it from farther away. There are no harsh lines, and the overall image of the flowers may even seem to be “blurry”, but it is still very clear what I’m meant to be looking at.

Upon looking at this piece in the museum, some questions arose. For instance, I wondered how long Monet took to paint the entire piece, and if he painted it in sessions, how long those individual sessions took. I’m also curious as to if he painted it all outside, in front of the actual irises, or if he split the time outdoors with time in his studio. Another question I had when I saw this painting was if the path or the flowers had some special meaning to him, since it is on his property.

Sources:
Auricchio, Laura. “Claude Monet (1840–1926): Essay: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 1 Jan. 1AD, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm.

Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer Seegobin. I am a sophomore and I also attended Baruch last year as a freshman. My major is Operations Management. I would describe myself as creative, and one of my hobbies is drawing. While in high school, I took Graphic Design classes and was eventually able to become certified in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign as a result. That was one of my favorite classes to take because I was genuinely interested in it and I got to spend a good chunk of the school day working on projects. Although I decided against pursuing a major focused on art or graphic design in college, I have found that the material I learned has helped me in formatting assignments and presentations. I still enjoy creating art as a hobby and I am grateful to have that as something that calms me down.
I was born and raised in Queens, New York. I love living in New York, as it is incredibly diverse and you don’t have to travel far to be introduced to different cultures from around the world. I am Indo-Guyanese, and a large part of why I am so comfortable in Queens is because of the Guyanese community there. Just in case you aren’t familiar with Guyana, it is the only English-speaking country in South America. Both of my parents are from there and immigrated to New York in the 90s.
Most people that know me would describe me as shy and quiet. I am generally more quiet around people when I am getting to know them, but after a while I get much more comfortable and act more like I would act in my own home. Before beginning college last year, I was quite nervous because I didn’t know anyone and I was worried about making friends. Luckily, I was able to meet people through my classes. My older brother also attends Baruch, and he recently got his Bachelor’s degree. His presence definitely helped me to feel more comfortable and he was able to help me find my way around in the beginning. I am excited to see what else my future holds here at Baruch.