Claude Monet is one of my favorite artists. His body of work is as should be expected for someone who lived and worked as long as he. My visual visits to his paintings will always reveal something new every time I look at one of them. It is difficult to say which I like best. However, not unlike Vincent van Gogh, he painted the same subject over and over. I was inspired by the Lilly Pond series. It is difficult to say which I favor. "The Water Lilly Pond" painted in 1899 and housed at MOMA is one of my inspirations. When I look at it, I see flecks of color that seem to be used to capture sunlight as it moved over the pond. The reflections, lights and shadows are perfectly placed. When viewed closely, it seems to be an abstract piece. Monet did not seem to be overly concerned with the exact shape of an object or if the color was exactly as viewed in nature. He did capture the essence of the pond. I have seen a photograph of Monet on the bridge over his pond and his representation is spot on when the painting is viewed at a distance. It is clearly evident that this is a pond filled with life and matches his interpretation perfectly. As with most of his work, I see something new every time I look at this painting. When I paint water, I think about what lies underneath the surface. I try to imagine how Monet would represent the same subject. I have tried to paint a subject multiple times, Not because I am not happy with the results of the first but because I know there are different ways of looking at light and shadow. I try to teach my students to look at their subject, see what they are looking at and draw or paint what they see. I think this is how Monet approached art. This may be completely off base but it works for me. If you look at my paintings I hope you can see Monet's influence.
This is in response to a prompt for:
Movement and Visual Culture Professor: Emily Newman