Not too long ago, we visited the Water Lily Room at Musée de l’Orangerie which houses Claude Monet’s renowned Water Lilies since 1927. Thanks to this book which I mentioned in my earlier post, Mal was more appreciative of what lay in front him.
It is one thing to read it in the book and another thing to see the real thing. I was in awe of the real thing. It made me feel little, literally and figuratively.
For one, here was a guy who spent the last 10 years or more of his life painting and repainting, and then repainting again, aiming for the acme of perfection until a good friend was brave enough to insist that it was already perfect and demand that he stops before he destroyed his own masterpiece. However, till his death, he was still not satisfied. This thing is HUGE. Imagine, 2 rooms worth of water lilies….what was this guy thinking?!!
I can’t really tell the difference between a Monet or a Van Gogh, but for once, I felt that I could appreciate this bigger than life piece of art. Strangely enough, for some then obscure reason, I felt touched and moved. Reflecting, perhaps it was the release of all the anticipation and expectations, coupled with the fact that here I am, standing in front of IT, not some cheap reproductions from posters.com, looking at IT’s closest details, marveling that IT once stood in Monet’s studio about a century ago.
I kind of like this feeling.
Ça me rendre triste que l’on ne lui connaisses pas!
anonymous,
bienvenue!
C’est bon que tu le connait
Comment je venir ne comprend pas?
nah, that is using translator – i dunno what i m saying also. :p so please spare it from going on.
Maybe Monet is trying to reproduce the whole jap garden in his room that’s why the painting is in such a big size. Monet is the father of impressionism, compared to Van Gogh. I find Monet paintings more blurred types, van gogh more bold stroke-filled and brighter colors.
I would always pick Monet rather than Van Gogh to teach impressionism to the little ones coz van gogh life is so depressed.
rus, hmmm r u trying to say ‘how come u do not understand?’
it is his depressed life that makes van gogh paintings so appealing to me. I actually like his work more than Monet’s
ha ha.. seems like you like his emotional colors and stroke a lot? Well, when we tell his life story, the children would ask funny questions like ‘why would he this or that’ can’t answer them the truth : because his paintings can’t sell *ha ha ha… and they don’t understand the word “depression” *adult make it!
we are doing artist history this june holiday workshop – leonardo, kandinsky, picasso, warhol (check out http://www.rus-art-studio.com)
*now that u r in paris, can talk more abt art to u :p
actually i enjoy van gogh’s later works when he used brighter colours, after being influenced by the impressionists. I like him because I find him very humble throughout his 10 years of artistic life. That also made him very poor. If only he realised that he was that talented.
the problem is not that he didn’t know he was talented but the people then cannot appreciate his talent, cannot accept his style. only after certain time of his death then it was discovered. the world is made of prejudice and mindsets huh?