Deeply touched in Marmottan Monet

It was a thrilling experience in the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.

In love with Monet was something long time ago and he was one of the first artist who ever grabbed my heart like he did to many one else. Soon after I learned art history, he went out of my attention and gave way to some older, more sophisticated artists. Even in the Orangerie last year, it was Renoir who caught my eyes instead of Monet. But this year, yesterday, I was totally blown away by Monet's wonderfully beautiful works in the Marmottan. 

In the temporary exhibition of the earlier works of Monet and other Impressionists, I was still talking to myself saying that there must be energy around the masters' works because I could feel my heart beating faster and my body trembling like electricity going through when I got closer to the great works. But as I approached the last piece of the exhibition, Monet's Hemerocalles au bord de l'eau (fig. 1), it was already not feelings as simple as that; it became a feeling of touching and thrill so immense that overwhelmed my whole body and heart that tears burst into my eyes. The big canvas, with its beautiful rich and translucent blue all over the place with different shades of the colour, interplaying with the lively strokes of various greens on the bottom, and with several glaring paints of red hemerocallis on the left and right. The whole colour scheme was so harmoniously arranged, with details sketchy but still clearly seen, and especially my eyes lingered on the reds for long - the paints are so prominent, thick and the colour so vivid that I could feel the strong sense of life within it as well as the presence of the painter himself through it. It reminded me of the similar vitality of Van Gogh, and maybe that is what makes them so wonderful and perpetual - the ever-pulsing vitality of life. Everyone stood still in front of the work and stared for long without leaving; it after all these years made me in love with Monet again. Turning my head around, I saw the sign 'Monet permanent collection' - I knew there might be a great more excitement waiting for me on another floor.

Fig. 1 Hemerocalles au bord de l'eau 1914-17

I walked down the stairs and as I reached the bottom, I glimpsed at the waterlilies hanging all around the room. I was so excited that I couldn't believe my eyes but meanwhile I didn't dare to see all of them all at once for fear of being over-excited. I walked to the beginning, the earlier pieces of Monet's works, and covered my eyes in order not to glance at the later part. Then I approached the manifesto piece: Impression, Sumrise (fig. 2). It was smaller than I thought, but was pretty much the same as I had seen it in reproductions everywhere else. It is sketchy, and after all, it was still just an early piece, though I felt very honoured to be able to have a look at it. Then the water lilies came into my sight. The earlier ones were misty, soft presentation of the pond and its surroundings (fig. 3) or the relatively clearer depiction of single, bigger waterlilies (fig. 4). It is at the turn of the century that he started to paint relatively small portion of the pond. 

Fig. 2  Impression, soleil levant 1872-73

Fig. 3 Bras de Seine près de Giverny, soleil levant 1897

Fig. 4 Nymphéas, effet du soir 1897

The ones that I love the most are those he painted in the middle of the time span during which he painted water lilies, roughly in 1900s and 10s - when he started to paint only a portion of the pond but still in a very delicate way, rather than the very sketchy or some of the furious ones made later as his eyesight deteriorated. These are the ones that really show his great aestheticism, the harmonious rendering of colour and light with wonderfully lively texture. My favourite piece in the permanent collection is Nymphéas of 1903 (fig. 5), a soft, delicate rendering. The whole colour scheme is delicate and harmonious. The rendering of the leaves are very lovely with only two or three brush strokes depicting one piece, lively and poetic; some even seem to be dancing. And again the little touches of a brilliant colour like yellow or red give the form of the flower and add to the great vitality of the work.

Fig. 5 Nymphéas 1903

Some later works of 1910s and 20s (fig. 5) are much more sketchy and unclear as the brush strokes became bigger and details less delicately rendered when Monet's eyesight got worse. Especially those long horizontal works like those in the Orangery are very roughly done. They are meant to be viewed from far away, however, they are also good to be observed closed-up, since as the canvas gets closer and bigger to you, you would feel like walking into the fantasy land of various blues of Monet, which gives you a full, embrasive feeling. There are also some of these later works that look even furious in colour and texture, with strong colour contrast and rough impasto, some even appearing inharmonious. It may either represent his state of mind, or simply one of his many experimental pieces as he tried to render the water lilies in all types of weather conditions and styles. However, some 1920s ones tend to be innovative in composition and style, some imitating Japanese design (fig. 6), some are arranged in a very abstract and decorative manner (fig. 7), and some representing flowers in different way which occupy a lot of the picture space (fig. 8).

Fig. 6 Les Roses 1925-26

Fig. 7 Glycines 1919-20

Fig. 8 Iris jaunes et mauve (not full canvas) 1924-25 

Some 1910s ones are very brilliant as they tend to have rougher texture than those made earlier in 1890s and 1900s, but still keep the harmony and delicacy. The impasto gives the feeling of life and the passion of the artist, in which you seem to feel the emotion and temper of the artist. Even though some ones (fig. 9, 10) go to a very extreme degree of roughness that it seem the painting is more about the texture than the thing represented. Though those ones are less appealing compared with some more harmonious work to me, but simply scrutinising the texture itself, you would feel that it tends to give you a real feeling of the texture of the plant - a rough surface, which reminds me so much of the works of Constable, who in the early 19th century already started to explore the potential of paint and whose impasto texture would glitter so beautifully in light as those would in Monet's painting. Talking about the surface texture, it reminds me of the comparison I always make between Renoir and Monet, two of my favourite Impressionistic painters. Both of them tried to render harmony and beauty, one through females, one through nature, but in very different way.s Renoir is sweet and very feminine, not only in the subject matter, but also in his style - the very soft, smooth, fluid, sugary quality of the colour and surface; whereas Monet's work always seems to me more masculine compared with Renoir's, with his rougher texture and brushworks, which appears to me a type of beauty more long-lasting. These differences in style must partly come from the differences in their character, for example, Renoir had a soft heart who always appreciated and wanted to represent the beautiful, sweet aspects of life. The Hemerocalles au bord de l'eau (fig. 1) by Monet upstairs is such a wonderful, wonderful 1910s piece of him. These harmonious, delicate 1910 ones with thinner, clearer brushworks, but relatively rougher texture than, say, Nymphéas of 1903 (fig. 4), tend to be my most favourite among all, which are not all presented here in the Marmottan. 

Fig. 9 Le Pont japonais

Fig. 10 Saule pleureur (not full canvas) 1918-19

I was surrounded and overwhelmed by the dreamed beauty as well as the emotion of Monet. It was already not simply a little shiver or heartbeat that I had felt upstairs, it was a deep touch and thrill of my heart. I finished the collection with tears holding in my eyes from the beginning to the end. It seems that the modern painting, with more freedom to paint in a more personal, abstract and poetic way, are usually much more emotionally charged. Through the beauty and harmony of Monet's painting, what we feel is not only the shock of beauty, but also the charge of emotion, which echoes with the emotion it ignites in our heart. No words, no way could I express the strong feeling that I had during my visit in Marmottan, what I could only did was to close my eyes and give my deepest honour and respect to the marvelous artist. It was this feeling that I would never forget and it was these touching moments that I would forever keep with me wherever I go deep down in my heart. 

In love with Renoir in l'Orangerie

WALKING into the corridor on Level -1 of Musée de l’Orangerie and glancing at the first few paintings on the wall (Fig. 1, 2, 3), I was astonished and couldn’t help but say ‘wow’. I’ve never seen Renoir’s figure painting like these, so beautifully and perfectly done that I couldn’t believe my eyes. I gazed at them, tears bursting into my eyes.

Fig. 1 Portrait de deux fillettes, 1890-1892

Fig. 2 Jeunes Filles au piano, about 1892

Fig. 3 Femme à la lettre, about 1890

I had seen Renoir’s river scene, woodland, and figures in outdoor settings, but I hadn’t seen such painting of young girls occupying most of the picture space in an interior setting, with background painted in an abstract, almost unfinished way. The whole painting is so softly painted. The colour palette is so harmonious and warm. The girls’ hairs are especially beautiful, with the interplay of different colours and the darkness and light, running down so softly and looking so real. When watching closely, some locks of hair even shines under the reflection of the light, exactly like the effect we get in real life under the light. Clothes are also floating like water. All the still lives in Renoir’s painting are flowing in beauty and vibrancy.

Another fantastic aspect is Renoir’s background. Except for Young Girls at the Piano (Fig. 2) in l’Orangerie, in which the background is unfinished since the painting is the first sketch of the six versions, many of Renoir’s other paintings of female figures also have these kind of expressive, almost unfinished background, with only stripes or patches of colours, yet the real objects in the background hardly distinguishable. However, such background, to me, is indeed beautiful. Renoir seems not to have totally eliminated the representational depiction; from his patterns and stripes of colours that form the background, we could still roughly sense the silhouette and texture of the objects, figuring out that behind the figures it is probably a curtain, furniture, or the edge of a wall. However, everything in the background seems to be blurred and reduced to only colours, and only warm colours, in Renoir’s eyes. We could see that it is Renoir’s intentional design, and the colour combination of the background is really harmonious and beautiful. The special effect of the background and the colour scheme of the whole painting make me feel that Renoir is such a colourist.

The Impressionist artists were so endeavoring to capture the real moments of nature or modern life that they sometimes neglected the beauty and harmony of the picture. They sacrificed beauty for truth. Many of the early Impressionist works are just like experimentation or statement of a new technique and spirit, but the treatment of colours and forms is not always attractive and the transition between river, ground, and sky sometimes seems abrupt. The green grass and blue sky that have been frequently depicted by the Impressionists seem to be more realistic than beautiful. Monet only went back to studio to work on his painting more in order to achieve better harmony in his later career.

Renoir, with his distinct quality of brushwork - the softness - and his attention to the colour harmony, gives his paintings a special texture and harmonious quality that is different from any other Impressionists. Here, we no longer see the very realistic depiction of green grass and blue sky, but a warm setting of interior, less naturalistically painted, but beautifully done. Everything is tender, warm and pleasant. And the whole painting seems to flow slowly. The softness and warmth touch me so much and the beauty of the females and of the whole flowing palette almost melts my heart. Just like what Renoir himself has said: For me, a picture has to be an amiable, joyous and pretty thing. Yes, there’re enough bothersome things in life without us making more. I noticed it’s difficult to persuade people that a painting can be great painting and still be joyous. Renoir’s beauty is warm, sweet and joyous, but looking at it more, it is almost sensuous and dreamlike. 

INTERESTINGLY, Renoir’s still life painting attracted me even more unexpectedly (Fig. 5). I had rarely seen Renoir’s still life paintings, and I had always been less keen on still life paintings which look so naturalistic and all the same. However, Renoir’s still lives are so attractive to me. I was surprised that Renoir’s special way of painting suits still life so well. His soft, flowing brushworks render the flowers a sensuous effect. His warm and harmonious colour scheme brings the same warmth, vibrancy and beauty to the plants as to his figures, and with the floral subject, the painting becomes even more decorative. And the curving, flowing brushstrokes give them vitality, not in Van Gogh’s struggling way, but in Renoir’s tender and warm way. Renoir himself also enjoyed still life painting in the way that he did not bring the same tension of mind to them that he did to the models, so that he could boldly tried out values when painting flowers. Still life is no longer simply a similarly naturalistic representation, but has in Renoir’s hand become real beauty and art, with vitality and spontaneity. 

The wonderful thing about Renoir is that his unique way of painting fit almost all subject matters: landscape, figure, interior, still life, etc. and with his talented balance of the main subject and the background, treatment of colour and brushwork, his unique style of painting and distinct effect of brushwork never seem excessive or unharmonious.

Fig. 5 Bouquet de tulipes, about 1905-1910 

RENOIR’S care about harmony and beauty of art, not just truth, may also come from his reverence for Old Masters and his focus on technical proficiency. He had said something that I feel strongly agree and that also could refer to the situation of the contemporary art now. ‘In fact, we know nothing. We’re sure of nothing. But when we look at works of the Old Masters, we shouldn’t be so sure of ourselves. What admirable craftsmen these people were above all. Why? Simply because they knew their job. Painting isn’t daydreaming. It’s manual work that has to be done conscientiously. Today we’re all geniuses or so we think. One thing is certain, we no longer know how to draw a hand and know hardly anything about our job. It’s because they knew their craft that the Old Masters were able to obtain such marvelous effects and the limpid colour … we’re vainly trying to find.’ And in his later career, Renoir even aimed at becoming a painter of classical figure worthy of Old Masters.

Art to me is not just about idea and innovation, but in essence, it is always about beauty and it requires craftsmanship. Old Masters always put painstaking efforts in creating a piece of art, and that’s why the art of the Old Masters always has a sense of heaviness and grandeur in it, and arouses our admiration and reverence. With homage to Old Masters, Renoir tried to achieve the mission of art through technical mastery and his unique rendering of colours and lines. He is like a great combination of the refinement of Old Masters and the new technique of modernism