Art and science are in constant states of change. Occasionally, a breakthrough in one has an immeasurable impact on the other.
Notice the nature of the light in Claude Monet’s classic Impressionist work, Effet de soleil couchant sur la Seine à Port-Villez (Effect of the Sun Setting on the Seine at Port-Villez).
The use of short, bold brushstrokes are familiar. However, the subject of a sunset differs from his more common sunrises.
Historically, goals of realism defined success in painting. Artists worked to accurately capture their subject in two dimensions.
However, with the invention and popularity of photography, artists began to challenge their traditional roles.
Impressionists, responding to this shift, and applying the ideas of Color Theorists, pushed what was expected of painting.
Impressionism focuses not on form, but color and light.
Monet worked more on conveying the relationships between light and dark, unblended colors, rather than defining physical shape.
When viewed closely, the forms of the tree and distant bank seem blurry or undefined. But stepping away, the short, broken brushstrokes create the movement of the river below the warm light of a setting sun.
Monet repeatedly painted river scenes from a flat-bottom boat, fashioned into a “floating studio,” not far from his home in Giverny, France. This repetition gave him a fuller understanding of the changing light throughout the day.
At an early, independent salon, Monet’s work was met with criticism of its “unfinished” appearance.
However, Monet and his Impressionist contemporaries wore these critiques as a badge of honor in their pursuit of exploring new ways of presenting the world.
