March 31 assignment (copied from notebook) Claude Monet

1st listening response: The thought that the museum had a fire is terrifying, and it is very lucky that we have any of the water lilly paintings (which were in the exhibit) left.

Introduction to the exhibit- A great introduction, gives us information on the painter as an artist, the situation both worldly and personal in which the paintings were created, and the response to the paintings.

Reflection of weeping willows- This was an in-depth look at the painting from 1914 entitled reflection of the weeping willows. The audio guide was very short on this one, and focused mostly on the idea of shared perspective and the symbolism of perspective, it could have gone more in-depth but allowed personal exploration of the topic and core ideas.

The Japanese Footbridge- This image is quite gripping, and of the possible explanations provided for the departure from typical Monet pallet and style, I choose to believe it was a mix of the cataracts and the emotional response to his trouble with color perception.

Water Lilies (single panel)- This image is very beautiful and the idea of immortality and longevity through artwork is clear within this image. The multiple layers of paint give us that sense of longevity while the beauty and imagery give us the sense of immortality, it seems like a very classical piece.

Agapanthus- This painting is by far my favorite of this collection. The movement of the flowers and the grass is both beautiful and somewhat surreal. I like the explanation of Monet's garden and the care with which he saw to it. It seems like in general Monet was a very carefully creative man.

Water Lilies- It is mentioned that this image was created outdoors, most likely, and that it is not as heavily worked as the others, and less abstract. It interests me greatly the care with which he apparently detailed the first few layers of the image, while later he would transform it into a more abstract piece.

Water Lilies triptych- I think the appraisal that this piece is the product of Monet's failing eye sight may be, on some level, correct. However whether or not that is a bad thing is up for discussion. I think the failing eye of the artist is a very interesting topic to explore, especially if what comes out is somewhat skewed and blurred. Proportion and color are two things very important to art work, but both can be modified as long as the perspective changes with it.