Art museum shows off spring Monet collection
By Benjamin Pogany
Insights
Published March 21, 2007

Right on the heels of this winter’s spectacular exhibit on “Barcelona & Modernity,” the Cleveland Museum of Art already has another hit on its hands. The museum, still closed for renovations, has put together “Monet in Normandy,” a gorgeous collection of more than 50 canvases by the master Impressionist. 

The exhibition traces Claude Monet’s relationship with the Normandy region of Northern France over the course of his career. The paintings are arranged for the most part geographically, with each room focusing on a certain region or theme. Beginning with Monet’s more traditionally realistic paintings from the 1860s, the exhibit follows his gradual progression into sensuality and impressionism, finally ending with the famous water lily paintings of the early 20th century. 

The exhibit begins with two of the paintings that helped to launch Monet’s career: “Garden at Saint-Adresse” and “Pointe de la Héve at Low Tide.” Even this early in his career, Monet’s technical brilliance is already evident in his use of color and his ability to capture the motion of wind and water. Pay special attention to the gorgeous clouds, especially where sunlight is breaking through an overcast sky. “A Seascape – Shipping by Moonlight” is a particularly dramatic example. 

For those experiencing Monet for the first time, it will soon become apparent that he is first and foremost a painter of nature. Human figures in his paintings are tiny and loosely rendered, and disappear from his work altogether around the mid-1880’s. Besides, the people present in “Monet in Normandy” are mostly bourgeois tourists, spending their holiday in France’s first tourist region. To wonder who they are, or what Monet is trying to say about society is beside the point.

Better instead to watch the progression of Monet’s style. Through the 1870s and 80s his forms grow less distinct and his palette lighter, as his concern for traditional realism fades. At the same time, his focus on the sea, already a regular theme in his work, begins to blossom into an obsession. The number of buildings and ships decreases drastically, and the slice of the sea visible on each canvas grows, finally culminating in “Waves Breaking” and “A Stormy Sea” from 1881, which are nothing more than water and sky. 

Since there are few works from the 1870s in the exhibit, the transition from realism to impressionism seems a bit sudden.  Stepping into the first room of Monet’s paintings from Pourville is almost like stepping into an exhibit of another painter. The forms in “Low Tide at Pourville” are so soft that the painting nearly looks like a watercolor. At this point, start to stand back from the canvases and let the focus of your eyes relax a bit. Monet’s concern is no longer with photographic detail, but rather with atmosphere and sensuality. Imagine the physical sensations of nature – the feeling of wind or sunlight, the smell of grass or sea air.

The second half of the exhibition features a number of Monet’s so-called series paintings, which portray a single subject with different conditions, lighting and points of view. Many critics seem to prefer the misty, shimmering grainstacks series, but I personally think that the series of paintings of rock arches from Étretat is more varied and more interesting. To get a quick sense of what Monet was trying to accomplish with his series paintings, compare the rough, detailed “The Manneporte” with the softer, nearly abstract “Waves at the Manneporte.”

Also be sure not to miss “Rouen Cathedral Façade and Tour d’Albane (morning effect),” the lone representative of Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series, and my favorite painting of the exhibition.  Monet uses an extremely rough surface to portray the cathedral forming out of the fog just at dusk.  The effect is indescribable – only the most basic architectural features can be made out, but the painting somehow conveys the impression that more detail is appearing as the daylight increases.

In the next room, I also felt a fondness for “Snow Effect at Giverny” from 1893. With the harshest part of winter no more than a month behind us, I couldn’t help but back to the feeling of staring out a window into the distance during a snowstorm. By the turn of the century, Monet was at his most impressionistic, at times coming near to outright abstraction. 

The exhibition closes with a vast display of Monet’s famous water lily paintings, of which he created hundreds at his home in Giverny from 1900 until his death in 1926. At the risk of exposing my own ignorance, I’ll admit that Monet’s water lilies have always put me to sleep. Monet’s later work is purely mood and atmosphere, and I find myself longing for some tiny realistic detail to latch onto. Still, do make it a point to enjoy the massive “Water Lilies (Agapanthus),” CMA’s own contribution.

Unlike “Barcelona,” which spoke to the viewer’s intellect and aesthetic taste, “Monet in Normandy” is a feast for the senses. The massive, fragrant flower display set up on the way into the exhibit parallels the sense impressions evoked by the paintings, and the spring weather coming up will soon do the same. Overall, “Monet in Normandy” is a well-timed, well-executed exhibition, so make it a point to visit.

“Monet in Normandy” runs through May 20th.  The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.  Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for students, seniors and children from 6 to 18.  CMA members and children under 5 are admitted free.  For more information or tickets, call 1-888-CMA-0033 or 216-421-7350.

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