Claude Monet
"Many people get laughing fits in front of these concoctions; as for me, my heart contracted. These self-proclaimed artists call themselves subversives, Impressionists; they take a canvas, paint and brushes, place a few tones next to each other as they come, and sign the whole thing... Gruesome examples of human vanity, losing themselves in madness ..." wrote the Figaro in 1876 on the occasion of the Second Impressionist Exhibition. At that time, Monet’s paintings may have been offered for the equivalent of about € 125 (~$134), yet rarely was a painting sold. Monet fought desperately against the narrow-mindedness of critics and the public. He had to wait almost 20 years for any recognition; indeed, at one point he came close to committing suicide because of his poverty and ill success.
For this painting, Monet cruised the Seine in a boat and captured his subject from there. The result was, of course, not "realistic." Certainly, the topography of the area is easy to determine; one can even speak of an austere industrial landscape for the standards of those times; though it is by no means a conventional veduta of Rouen with its mighty cathedral, but merely the small section that could only just be seen from the boat. In the foreground, the grey-green Seine stretches across the entire width of the picture, and the boat is probably located somewhat askew in the river, for the bank appears at the left edge of the picture. Like an old-style staffage, a two-mast ship leads the view towards the center, towards the town and other ships, but the silhouette of the town blurs in the haze. Similar to Pissarro, Monet has strongly rhythmized and dissolved the horizon; water and clouds were more important.
After 1894, Monet was finally recognized, and with his late water lily paintings he became famous. The high esteem in which Monet is held today is also due to the realization that in his later works he developed painterly principles that make him appear as a precursor of Modernism.
We present today's painting thanks to the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.
P.S. Claude Monet often painted the same motifs in series, including the iconic Rouen Cathedral. <3
P.P.S. If you would like to learn more about Monet's struggle for fame and recognition, please check our Mega Impressionism course!