During my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was particularly drawn to Claude Monet’s, Ile Aux Orties Near Vernon. Claude Monet is a famous French painter of the 19th and early 20th century. He is credited with being one of the founders of the Impressionism movement which is concerned with the visual impression of a moment, focusing on light and color. He is famously known for his series of artworks such as Nympheas, Sunrise, and Rouen Cathedral.
This painting depicts the scenery of the Ile aux Orties (Island of Nettles) situated close to Monet’s home in Giverny. Monet painted four versions of the misty atmosphere in 1897. This piece consists of many brush strokes in shades of blue, purple, gray, yellow and green. Monet seems to be depicting a cloud or fog just above the river. Monet’s focus on light and color can be seen in the shape of the cloud as well as its reflection. He uses dark blue, green, and purple, and some gray to depict the shape of the cloud, and uses light green, yellow, blue, and purple to portray the cloud’s reflection in river.
Monet’s, Ile Aux Orties Near Vernon, definitely focuses on the aesthetic element of Modernism. When you think of a foggy atmosphere you usually associate dark colors and a gloomy tone. However, Monet depicts a much more peaceful image by using bright colors and creates a more appealing impression of fog. Furthermore, Monet’s artistic style does not apply definite shapes or forms to objects, so his pieces can sometimes be left to interpretation.
I viewed this piece of Monet’s work in the European Paintings department at the MET. In this section there were a lot of pieces of Monet’s work such as his famous Water Lillies, and other works of impressionist artist. A lot of pieces featured in this section were composed of detailed brush strokes as well as bright colors.
I was particularly drawn to Monet’s Ile Aux Orties Near Vernon, because of its bright colors and simplicity. I have always favored modern pieces of art that depict simple images and focus on color schemes. At first glance, I was so drawn by its bright colors that I was not able to make out the object in the painting. After further analyzation, I was able to see the cloud and its reflection in the water. Also, I was able to draw some conclusions due to my recognition of the French word, ile, which means island.
I wonder if Monet purposely used bright colors to create a more attractive piece or if this was a scenery he encountered. Furthermore, I would like to know why Monet created his work with an element of vagueness. Did he want viewers of his work to develop their own interpretation, or does his indefinite objects have an underlying meaning?
Shayla, I am not familiar with this particular Monet, but I agree with you that there is something soothing and appealing about his paintings. I think the key here connecting Monet to Modernism is the idea of Impressionism – which strives not to replicate an image in a lifelike manner, but instead to capture the impression left by an image or scene.