Analysis Of Sunset In Venice By Claude Monet
Impressionism is an art style that was a large part of the 19th century, which was a time for anxiety and confusion. New views of the physical universe were brought about. Understanding towards the irrational grew and different views toward human nature grew. Art and literature became modern, completely shutting out old beliefs. The beliefs and events going on in that time period created for art flashing bright colors, dynamic brushstrokes, and generally outdoors oriented.
Color was chosen over detail. Pieces were created purposely unclear, to portray as if one was taking a small glimpse at the seen and had to recreate in their own heads. This allows the viewer to feel the meaning of the piece, rather than the piece giving the meaning to the viewer. This contrasted to the idea of photographic pieces, especially because artists wanted to create something different and meaningful during a time that the first Kodak camera was created. Sunset in Venice by Claude Monet is a prime example of an impressionist painting from 1908. It depicts a sunset upon a body of water with a tall building in the distance. The bright color scheme is key in this painting, as the sky has a gradient, from blue to red. The man-made building is very dark as in comparison to the nature all around it: this could possibly be because of the views toward man-made materialism at the time were disfavored.
The outdoor/nature setting was significant to impressionists. In fact, the style first began when artists abandoned studios and rather went out into the setting of nature/outdoorsy painting themselves. Claude Monet specifically was fascinated with water and the interplay of light, water, and atmosphere. In this piece, dusk is depicted with many colors and these same colors are reflected into the body of water below. This shows Claude Monet’s interest in the interplay of water and light. The whole piece is painted using small brush strokes to create a bigger picture. The general tone, in my view, seems as if it is trying to point out there is always darkness in the light. Monet, Claude. “Sunset in Venice. ” Claude Monet, www. claude-monet. com/sunset-in-venice. jsp. TOPS Critique Dusk Dream is the title of my piece. The reason for this title is because the piece represents a mirage-like dream of one’s impression when they think of the Taj Mahal at Dusk. The visual includes many features that make it the Impressionism art style; mainly to imitate the world as a glimpse. The piece depicts the Taj Mahal being reflected upon a body of water during dusk. Just like the dark distant man-made building in Sunset in Venice, this piece depicts the Taj Mahal instead. That’s why the building is painted black so it can be dark as in comparison to the rest of the colorful nature.
The sky is painted with colors that are blue, purple, pink, and red. The same is done with the reflection in the water opposite to the sky. A water like ripple has been attempted to be painted to show that it is a reflection, (without using too much detail). The purposeful short brushstrokes contribute to a blurry piece generally. The whole theme of Dusk Dream leans towards an earthly nature side. One aspect in my piece that depicts Impressionism is the brushstrokes. These short but thick brushstrokes create a hazy piece. This is done so the viewers can truly choose what goes on in the visual based on their own impression of the bleary painting. Artists chose to do this so they won’t restrict the viewers of the art to one simple interpretation, but rather many. Instead of setting up thoughts for the viewers, it frees them. Another aspect is the tendency of including nature or outdoor settings. The setting of the horizon between the sky and the body of water strongly shows a sense of earthly elements. It portrays an idea that could occur when one thinks of a sunset on a body of water.
The use of vivid colors in my piece is another strong aspect in Impressionism. The use of blue, purple, pink and red to depict a sunset. Impressionist did this to stray away from accurate portrayal of details. Painting colors fueled one’s imagination much more than a detailed painting ever would. Much of the belief regarding the fuel of imagination has to do with the contemporaries’ new views of human nature and the unconscious. All of these aspects combine to form one aspect that meets Monet’s ideals. Since he would often use water in his paintings, Dusk Dream also used water and its reflection to show proper interplay of light, water, and atmosphere. This was one of the few aspects that needed to be accurate in impressionism. Sunset in Venice, by Claude Monet largely inspired Dusk Dream. It was inspiring to see, in one interpretation, that man-made buildings were regarded as dark figures, whereas colorful nature shows so much more than materialism. Dusk Dream used this same method by covering one of the wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. Colors of the sky overpowered the man-made wonder, showing nature dominates all. This is only one interpretation. The inspiring short but thick brushstrokes were purposely included to inspire imagination. It implies the same message; nature dominates over man-made creation. It shows that the piece is a quick flash rather than a photographic-like piece. It gets rid of details, so it is open to the eyes of the viewers’ own interpretation.
