“Claude Monet painted the 18* works in his Mornings on the Seine series from a flat-bottomed boat anchored to the riverbank where the Epte River flows into the Seine. There, as the light changed from dawn to day, he worked on one canvas after another. To keep them in order, he numbered them, placed them in grooves built into the boat, and had the gardener whom he enlisted as his assistant hand them to him.“ -the Chicago Institute of Art.
“The colors used in the paintings are harmonious, and the effect created has tapestry qualities. In the paintings, the eye is drawn through the work to where the sky meets the water. The sun is starting to rise, causing a rose effect in the sky and a tint to the nearest trees. The brushstrokes used are integrated to add to the harmony of the work. The atmospheric tone centers around one color: blue, and how it fades slowly with the approaching sun. Here it has almost disappeared.” - claude monet .com *Note: We found the figure for the numbers of paintings in this series varied from 18-21, depending on which source you’re reading. In all honesty, We don’t know which is correct.
Still, we love the softness of this-& others We came across from the series. All the blue-green trees & shrubs which line both banks of the Seine are almost a blur, as are their reflections in the river. The dawning sky does indeed have a soft roseate tint, a colour mirrored on the bright-yet soft edged-reflection running the length of the river-view. One might look at this and think it so blurred you’d be tempted to reach for your reading glasses. But it’s Monet’s gift of Impressionism that is so evident in this series of deliberately softened and blurred images. It is a mood, the ever changing qualities of light as day Dawns & the mist lifts…colours changing ever so slightly before his eyes as he swiftly painted his canvases. So…it’s not your eyes: it’s the beautiful softness of Impressionism at which Monet excelled. ~💞
Morning on the Seine Near Giverny -Claude Monet oil on canvas 1897 #Impressionism
#Monet devoted an entire series to this view #painting it fr/Dawn for hours-noting the changes in light as #mists dissolved. Here’s 1 of that series. ALT text fr/Chicago Inst of #art /claude-monet. com & a bit✍️by Us💞
