Claude Monet's fascination with the Mediterranean began in December 1883, when Pierre-Auguste Renoir invited him on a trip to the Riviera. En route to the sea they visited Paul Cézanne in L'Estaque. By the time they reached Monaco, their first Mediterranean stop, Monet was completely enchanted by the warm southern climate, its lush, exotic vegetation, and the extraordinary quality of light. He was to return again and again to the southern coasts of France and Italy to paint some of his most superb work.
"Monet And The Mediterranean" unites over 100 paintings created during the course of three major trips Monet made to the Mediterranean from 1883 to 1908. The sheer beauty of the nature these works depict is breathtaking, as are the luminescent colors of his palette and dazzling light effects. The artist's use of light is frequently dramatic, as he often painted scenes at sunrise, midday and sunset.
Joachim Pisarro has brilliantly communicated, through this text, his deep love for painting and art history. He has combined and provided here a biography, history, and critical interpretation that allowed me to view some of my favorite paintings as if for the first time. This volume features over 100 color plates, with introductory commentaries for each series or group of paintings. The artist's love of the region and its light is evident in his work - from olive and citrus trees in the Italian fishing village of Bordighera to the vast seas and skies of Cap Martin and Cap d'Antibes to the shadowy canals and golden Ducal Palace of Venice. The Mediterranean was, perhaps, Monet's greatest muse, providing him with a climate, light and color that possessed him with what curator Joachim Pissarro calls an "ineluctable need to paint."
A real treasure of a book! Makes a wonderful gift!
JANA
