Monet’s Garden: The Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris (an exhibition that unites 60 of the master impressionist’s artworks) has finally opened in Melbourne.
We suggest you organise your car hire Melbourne wide as soon as possible, and go see for yourself why Monet’s works have stood the test of time.
And, if you really want to impress everyone with your extensive knowledge of Monet on the car trip to NGV International (where the exhibition is being held), we’re here to help!
Below are a few key facts that you can easily slip into any conversation and thereby gain your companions’ respect.
Claude Monet was born in 1840 and died in 1926. He is regarded by most as the father of French impressionist painting.
The term ‘impressionism’ actually comes from the title of one of Monet’s paintings: Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise). This was painted in 1872, and was inspired by the harbour of Le Havre in France.
Monet also, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, helped pave the way for modernist painting by developing “a unique style that strove to capture on canvas the very act of perceiving nature”.
He is most well known for portraying leisure activities and landscapes around Paris and the Normandy coast. He advocated painting ‘en plein air’ (in the open air) and using natural light.
The poor painter started having vision problems due to cataracts in 1908 and underwent multiple surgeries to fix his sight in 1923.
You might be able to pick out which paintings Monet completed while suffering from cataracts: they tend to have a reddish tone, as he had difficulty seeing other colours. His paintings also gradually grew less detailed, perhaps because of his sight problems.
Now you’re all set to visit Monet’s Garden, which is being held as part of the larger Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition. Enjoy!