Monet’s Garden

Waterlilies, 1919When I was at art college, it was considered unfashionable and bourgeois to like the Impressionists (and it’s probably still the case). Although I was never particularly a fan of the style, observing technique is always educational, and it is worth remembering that when they were alive, the Impressionist painters were considered outrageous rebels, perpetrating crimes against painting. So it was with an open mind I went to view the Winter Masterpieces exhibition Monet’s Garden, on at the National Gallery of Victoria (until 8 September).

Stormy Seascape, 1883I was pleasantly surprised by what a great job the curator did – it so often the case with exhibitions in Australia that only lesser-known paintings by great masters on view (due to the expense or reluctance of international museums or private collections to send artworks on such a long journey). There were several rooms devoted to different aspects of his work, including a wonderful semi-circular room at the very end showing a panoramic video of 24 hours in Monet’s house and garden, accompanied by beautiful music.

Waterlilies, 1908But I was even more impressed by Monet’s work – I had not studied his life and work probably since high school. And what a remarkable tour de force in painting! What a vision this man had, and such determination and passion – visible in every brushstroke is urgent need to capture moments in time, to capture the sheer breathtaking beauty of light, even when he almost lost his eyesight.

Waterlilies, 1907His water lily paintings are so lovely and ethereal. The absence of land, the tilted plane influenced by the flatness of Japanese woodcuts, the reflections on the smooth surface of the water contrasting with the horizontal texture of the water lilies that float on the surface – all combine to create the dizzying illusion of depth, a mirror reflecting the real and yet turning that reality on its head.

The Japanese Bridge, 1924Much has been said on the necessity of standing far back from Impressionist paintings so that the eye merges all the inexplicable dabs of paint, but the phenomenon is astonishing when one actually experiences it. It’s quite amazing to sit far back from his paintings of the Japanese bridge rendered in burnt sienna, red and gold. Standing directly in front, they are a mass of writhing brushstrokes forming almost indeterminate shapes, but ten metres away the dabs suddenly fuse, coalesce and one can see the path under the rose arbour. There is depth – through the centre and through the leaves of the trees overhead where one can glimpse the sky.

The Rose Path, Giverny, 1922Vétheuil in the fog, 1879Of his earlier paintings, my favourites were those where Monet explored atmospheric effects (always one of his favourite themes). Vétheuil in the fog (1879) remained one of Monet’s favourite paintings that he refused to sell, keeping it beside him all his life. Here he was determined to capture the atmospheric effects of fog on a view of the town across the water. It is ethereal, glimpse through the white mist. The single painting of Rouen Cathedral – one of 30 canvases he painted – captures bright and warm sunlight of late afternoon, blurred and shifting into shadows, a joyous celebration of paint and light.

Rouen Cathedral, Effects of Sunlight, Sunset 1892I also particularly loved a long field of irises, painted with a palette of only five colours. Monet has done away with deep shadows and thus captured the brilliant and fresh air of a bright spring or summer morning. Field of yellow irises at Giverny (1887). The brushstrokes are almost sketchy; primed canvas is left exposed in the lower right corner. The angled brushstrokes seem also to capture the wind as it tosses the flowers and the clouds about.

Field of yellow irises at Giverny, 1887What all these paintings show is one man’s obsession with nature as a subject, and his passion and commitment in capturing it. It’s a rare opportunity to see such work in Australia – don’t miss it.