Monet and Japanese Art

Descriptive Essay # 116043

Art > Artists
Asian Studies

An analysis of Claude Monet's connection to Japanese art.

3,492 words () | 12 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to illustrate how Monet was deeply affected by Japanese art on a spiritual and emotional level. The paper discusses how Monet's obsession with Japanese art was apparent in his home, his words and his collection of prints. Monet's use of color, water, light and composition are described by the paper as well as how they were all influenced by the Japanese style.

Outline:
Japanese Art as an Influence
Japanese Art: The Collection
Impact on a Master Painter: Color
Impact on a Master Painter: Water
Impact on a Master: Light
Impact on a Master: Composition
Conclusion: An Artist Speaks

From the Paper:

"Monet's connection to Japanese art has been variably reported as beginning early in the 1860s up to an initial purchase in 1871 . Perhaps the most charming story about Monet's introduction to Japanese art is a legend stating that Monet, when attempting to escape the Prussian siege of Paris, walked into a food shop in Amsterdam. The paper being used as wrapping paper were pages from a Japanese book of prints. The story goes on the say that Monet was so enamored with the prints that he purchased a print without delay and that this simple purchase changed the course of his life and the course of the styles, colors, and techniques used in Western art from that day forward."

Sample of Sources Used:

Doyle, Nancy. "Artist Profile: Claude Monet." Nancy Doyle Fine Art. 24 April 2007 <http://www.ndoylefineart.com/monet.html>
Elder, Mark. A Giverny, chez Claude Monet. Paris: Bernheim-Juene, 1924. In Monet & Japan. Canberra, Australia: National Gallery of Australia, 2001.
Ives, C. F. The Great Wave: The Influence of Japanese Woodcuts on French Prints. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1974.
La Fondation Claude Monet. "Claude Monet." 24 April 2007 <http://www.fondation-monet.com/uk/biographie/sommaire.htm>
Melidian, Souren. "Monet's Long, Luminous Journey to the Edge of Abstraction." International Herald Tribune 17 July 1999. 24 April 2007 < http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/1999/17/monet.t.php>