Monthly Archives: November 2023

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.

Self Portrait With Two Flowers 

Paula Modernsohn-Becker was one of the first  artists to depict a visible pregnancy in art, although it is common today, it was unseen  before the 20th century. Paula’s work has went on to  encourage many female artists throughout many generations.  

Modernism can be characterized as putting an end to the traditional styles and techniques, and becoming more focused on personal expression by depicting art in an abstract way. During the time when the Self Portrait With Two Flowers was created, many historical moments played a pivotal role in forming this piece. Around this time, the Industrial Revolution sparked and The Women’s Right Movement was in motion. Both these historical  events  shaped artists  like Paula to explore new themes in self discovery. Paula’s choice to paint herself pregnant consequently challenged her audience to observe non-traditional gender roles, and was a statement to the Women’s Rights Movement. In The Self Portrait With Two Flowers, I believe that Paula used the colors she did to represent a state of depression many women fall into during pregnancy. (The art Story). The artistic choice to hold up two flowers while simultaneously holding her pregnant stomach is a juxtaposition to the “darkness” of her emotions. In this case, the flowers represent fertility, femininity, life, and growth. Additionally, two flowers shown in the painting both being different colors, one being darker than the other, we can perceive  the darker flower as her-dark and lived through life, while the lighter one represents her unborn child, pure and untouched. Sadly by the time this was finished Paula passed away at 31 due to childbirth. 

I was originally drawn to this piece because of Paula’s face. It made me feel as though I was looking at a portrait of myself. I thought that this piece artistically captured the essence of one of my biggest insecurities being my “big”or “ethnic” nose. Before knowing the meaning of this portrait I saw a face I see everyday. As I looked at her face for longer I thought of how beautiful she was, seeing the beauty in Paula made me reflect on myself and how if I can think someone is as beautiful  as Paula then why can I not think the same of myself. As I read more and researched Paula’s life I learned of the independent life she lived, despite being married or so what you would call her relationship with her husband. I myself relate to many aspects of Paula’s life as I find comfort and happiness in knowing that I myself enjoy the independent lifestyle that she lived, away from the materialistic things that would normally run our lives. 

A question I have regarding this artwork is how the self-portrait compares to other modernist artists of her time? I would also like to ask about who she was mostly influenced by as this way of artistic work was fairly new, and how she became inspired to create such historical and influential pieces of work. 

Citations 

Radycki, Diane. Paula Modersohn-Becker: Self-Portrait with Two Flowers. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2019. https://www.artbook.com/9781633450745.html

“The Art Story Foundation. ‘Paula Modersohn-Becker: Legacy.’ The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/modersohn-becker-paula/#legacy.

This painting was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painter was Edward Hopper an American realist painter. He was born in 1882 and lived his life in the city of New York, and later died in the year 1967. The work I selected is titled “Tables for Ladies” which was made in the year 1930. The significance behind the title was that before when a woman sat in a restaurant alone she was considered a prostitute, but at the time of the painting they invited women with this sign to sit alone and not be judged. In the painting, there are two ladies working in a restaurant, one is a cashier and the other a waitress. There is also a couple sitting in the corner having a conversation with each other. All the people in the painting seem to be doing their own thing and completely disconnected from the people around them. The way we see this painting is connected to the aesthetic of modernism mainly through its focus on everyday life at the time of the painting. At that time roles of women in society were changing as we saw two women hard at work at the restaurant, which invited women to sit alone. Furthermore, it signifies realism, it is not meant to be looked at and pulled apart in order to find an immensely abstract explanation for the painting. Rather it is meant to be just a painting of two women at their restaurant jobs and a couple in the middle of their meal. I saw the painting on my visit to the museum in the modern art section. Then what drew me in when all the vibrant colors and all the visible paint strokes leading it to stick out the most to me. There were some questions I had, like what was Edward Hopper’s view on modernism did he believe in the way the world was moving and that’s why he painted this piece or was it just him trying to create a piece of art that would relate to people at that time? Another question I had was, were there any things in specific about the painting that represented the social themes of that time, and to add on to that question was he painting this painting just for New Yorkers, or was it meant to be for a world audience? Lastly, did Edward Hopper know how crucial this painting would be and how it still can be applied in today’s society, or was he just painting something he wanted to express?

Sources: “Edward Hopper and His Paintings.” Edward Hopper: 100 Famous Paintings, Biography, and Quotes, www.edwardhopper.net/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

–Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis?  Explain your response.

–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?

–At the end of the second section of the story, Gregor’s father pelts him with apples.  What do you think this episode is about?

–Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers.  What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?

–Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means?  What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?

–Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death.  How/why does he ultimately die?

I think it’s a story where you can see how he is someone who lives in isolation, depression and disability. I learned a lot from this because it shows you how you yourself are the one who can destroy your own future, like the power you give to your mind and let the things that you really want to fight to have in life not come to you in time. It may be that when you want to do it it will be too late. He is sad, showing a feeling of emptiness, that no matter how many material things you may have at the end of the day, there are others that have more value and that are often not paid for with money. He struggled with his internal superego, that part of you that can sometimes keep you grounded and at the same time can limit you from things that are worth doing or creating experiences, like in this case he left it until later to get closer. For women he left everything for another day. He was already at a point where he was rehearsing what he was going to say for when the time came to talk to a girl but he didn’t let go of that fear or shyness of doing it. In the end you can see how time passed and the physical appearances changed. It became late because time took its toll. He taught me to do what I want to do when I want to do it and not to think about society or fear because today I am young but I may not be young tomorrow.

–The story’s narrator is revisiting a place he once lived. Explain the significance that this “revisiting” has in relation to the themes of the story.

–What is the connection between our narrator and Weifu? Why do you think so much of the story is spent on Weifu’s life, while the narrator shares very little about his own life experiences?

–Explain the significance of the story about reburying Weifu’s little brother?

–Weifu recalls when he and the narrator used to pull the beards off religious statues in the Temple when they were younger. What is the significance of this memory?

–Describe an instance of filial piety in the story. What is its significance?

–What aspects of this short story seem to you to be particularly modernist?