Cathy's Art Diary

Comprehensive and enjoyable online lecture from ARTscapades introducing the exhibition at the Courtauld on Monet’s views of the River Thames. The curator of the show, Karen Serres, lead us clearly through the three series of paintings, gave us the background to how Monet painted them and their afterlife from exhibition to sale.   I was fascinated to hear more about what London looked like at the time and how the subjects, Waterloo and Charing Cross bridges and the Houses of Parliament were all relatively new. I also loved the background information on Monet’s life in London including the fact that he is recorded on the 1901 census record for the Savoy, I had already been to the show and enjoyed it but this talk added a lot more information and I have revisited since to consolidate what I learnt and to cement the show in my mind.

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery bringing together twenty one of Monet's paintings of the River Thames. Monet had hoped that these works would be shown together in London   but a planned show for 1905 never happened. This show fulfils this wish just yards from the Savoy from which he made the sketches for two of the series. The 21 works, brought together from around the world, were hung in the three series of Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. I was fascinated to see that he only did sketches in London and that all the finished works were done back in Giverny. The commentary explained how Monet was captivated by the London fogs and the effect they had on light. Although you can view the pictures in any order I'd recommend going round in number order as the useful leaflet and labels do build a narrative. These are stunning pictures on their own but benefit from seeing them as a group   to really see what Monet was trying ...

Charming exhibition at the Garden Museum of work by Jean-Marie Toulgouat, Monet’s step great-grandson. Toulgouat moved back to Giverny in 1964 and helped with the restoration of the gardens which was also covered in this show. He had been an architect but had always painted and on returning to the garden he started to paint full-time inspired by it. I preferred the more abstracted works but loved the bright colours of all of them. They were hung with photographs of the garden by Andrew Lawson in a nicely designed display including a wisteria arch. Closed 24 April 2024    

Delightful exhibition at Messums of work by Jean-Marie Toulgouat, Monet’s great-grandson. Toulgouat lived at Monet’s garden in Giverney which he was instrumental in restoring. The works had shades of Monet but also had a distinct and independent style. It was interesting to see his style develop from a more abstract linear style, though a freer floral abstract to more realistic scenes. I had a fascinating conversation with the attendant and it was lovely to have such a friendly welcome. Closed 5 April 2024    

Interesting online lecture from ARTscapades looking at the art of Monet and how it was influenced by the women he was with. Jackie Wullschlager, author of a book with the same title as the lecture, led us though Monet’s life and career focusing on how his art changed with his marriages. She discussed how his girlfriend and later wife, Camille Doncieux, represented his early, radical work full of figures and representations of modern everyday life. She then moved on to the effect of her death on his art when he moved onto foggy landscapes. As he met and again later married Alice Hoschede he turned to staying close to home and studying the light effects at different times of day and year in series of paintings such as haystacks. Finally after Alice died and he grew older and his eyesight started to fail, his step-daughter, Blanche Hoschede, moved to Giverny and stayed with him during the period when he concentrated on painting the garden and produced the large waterlily painting...

Stimulating one day conference organised by the National Gallery at King’s College London bringing together academics and practitioners from artistic, theological and ecological backgrounds to discuss how three paintings from the gallery reflect themes of creation. The conference was the culmination of this year’s Art and Religion Research programme which had had been discussing the topic via three paintings; Rachel Ruysch’s “Flowers in a Vase” (1685), Claude Monet’s “Flood Waters” (1896) and Van Gogh’s “Long Grass with Butterflies” (1890). Although the networks are closed, they had opened this conference to a wider audience. At times I found it a bit too philosophical for me but as I typed it up I realise I had got a lot of new ideas from it and new things to think about when looking at pictures. The format of the day was three panels with two speakers on each talking about one of the pictures. The Ruysh speakers set up opposing arguments about whether the work was about extincti...

Beautiful exhibition at the National Gallery looking at how Monet used architecture in his paintings.   It did more than the predicted Rouen Cathedral and House of Parliament pictures and I loved the early sections on the picturesque looking at where he grew up in Normandy, a trip to the Netherlands, the coast near Dieppe and towns on the Mediterranean sea. In each case it looked at how he used repeated images to explore light effects.   The next section looked at cities with pictures of central Paris and London including the wonderful Boulevard des Capucines which records the moment when bright sunlight hits the street and cuts it into a light and a dark side. It then looked at the suburb of Argenteuil where he moved in 1871 and I particularly like the pictures of the bridge which had been destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War being rebuilt.   The final section entitled the “Monument and the Mysterious” did hit us with the pictures of Rouen Cathedral as well as ...

Fun debate at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival pitting Turner and Monet against each other in a debate format with a vote at the end. Franny Moyle, author of “The Extraordinary Life and Momentous Times of J.M.W. Turner”, spoke for Turner and talked about how ground breaking he was choosing modern subjects for his work and using new techniques.   Monet was supported by Ross King, author of “Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies” talking about how Monet too chose new subjects and how he influenced later artists. After each author had presented their case the chair, Virginia Nicholson, oversaw a lively debate including comments and questions from the audience.   And the winner was, drum roll please, Turner!  

New display at the National Gallery for their large Monet Water Lilies which has only recently returned from Tate Britain. I must admit I never liked it at Tate Britain as it never seemed to work so well in such a large white space. The delicate greens and yellows in it just looked insipid. However back at the National Gallery with a lower ceiling and against a darker wall it looks stunning. It was also nice to see it hung with other pictures from the collection of the garden at Giverny so you got a lovely sense of place and of an artist working through ideas.

An excellent study morning at the National Gallery looking in detail at their Water-lilies picture by Money which has recently returned from Tate Modern. The morning was led by James Heard who began by setting the picture in the context of Monet’s life and work. We took a detailed look at some of the series pictures and talked about why he was doing them. After a quick coffee we looked at the water-lilies pictures. I hadn’t realised they had been commissioned by the French Prime Minister Clemenceau as a war memorial. I was fascinated to see the pictures of them in Monet’s studio. The tutor handed round pictures of several of the studies and asked us in groups to think about why these pictures were so radical when compared to other pictures of the time and to think about why they appeal to a post-modern eye. Usually these sessions are purely lectures so it was nice to get a bit more interaction and discussion going. Finally we spent some time in front of the picture an...