Among the greatest exponents of Impressionism, one of the most important artistic movements of the 19th century, Claude Monet has become one of the most recognizable Western artists of all time.
La Grenouillère was painted in 1869. Its medium is oil on canvas and this version is exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Claude Monet). The artist depicts a sunny day of leisure during summer. A few boats can be seen in the foreground probably tied on the dock. In the center a platform in the river is full of people. Some are being seen bathing, some seem ready to dive. At a deck nearby even more people seem to enjoy the beautiful day. This is an appropriate theme for an impressionist painting as the group preferred creating their works outdoors and focused on depicting the activities of the Parisian Middle class to which most of them belonged (Auricchio).
The painting is impressive and catches the eye from the first glance. I felt that the artist manages to take the viewer to that place even though when you look more carefully the brushstrokes seems sketchy and the end result seems a bit blurred. The end result is powerful filled with beautiful images provoking positive sentiments, even bringing back to me memories of childhood vacations. The arrangement of the painting and the choice of colors add to the overall experience. The calm waters of the river or lake and the green trees of what seems to be a forest in the background give a sense of serenity, while the bathers and people having fun during a summer day give a sense of optimism.
In this respect and although it was created almost two centuries before La Grenouillère is still relevant to the 21st viewer and this, I believe, is Monet’s greatest achievement!
WORKS CITED
"Claude Monet: La Grenouillère". 2008. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/29.100.112
Auricchio, Laura. 2004. "Claude Monet (1840–1926)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm
