Monet The Poppy Field
Uploaded by jetzzz on Oct 26, 2011
This paper examines one of Monet’s landscapes, and relates it to an observation by Charles Baudelaire.
I Introduction
Impressionism is a style of painting in which the artist seeks to create an “impression” of what he sees; it is not a literal rendering. Impressionist works have a “dreamy” quality that comes from the hazy aspects of the paintings: light dances on water; haystacks shimmer in the sun; the houses of Parliament are wrapped in fog. “The impressionists … used bright, unmodulated colors, applied in bold, irregular brush strokes on a light-tinted canvas. Their deft application of paint created the appearance of spontaneity, as if their images were captured in a single moment.” (“The Impressionists at Argenteuil,” PG). The paintings in general are very well-liked, and Monet is probably the most popular of all the Impressionists.
These works were often considered “quick studies” for more complex paintings that the artists would complete later in their studio. Monet was the first to exhibit these so-called “sketches” as finished works. (Claude Monet Jigsaw Book, p. 1). This paper examines one of Monet’s works, “The Poppy Field.”
II “The Poppy Field”
“The Poppy Field” is Monet’s impression of a summer’s day in Argenteuil. The thing that strikes the viewer first about the painting is the composition. The trees at the left provide a strong vertical contrast to the sweeping field of flowers that makes up the rest of the picture; in addition, their deep green leaves make a strong statement when compared to the field grasses. The grasses themselves appear as a light brown, with some green, almost as if they were drying out. The poppies of the title are no more than a half-dozen spots of bright red color near the center bottom of the composition. Finally, the sky appears in various shades of the hazy blues one sees in summer; it is filled with white, fluffy clouds.
Monet has constructed the work so that the trees and the ground “frame” the sky. Although the field takes up the largest part of the canvas, its darker hues cause it to recede, while the white in the clouds brings them forward. The medium field and the dark trees draw the viewer’s eye first to the sky. From there, the eye travels to the left, down the trees, and only then...