ARTH509 - Claude Monet After Impressionism

Course Description

The Water Lilies and Late Series Works

In the later decades of his career, Impressionist artist Claude Monet created various series of works of the same motifs observed under different conditions of weather and light. This innovative approach, of subjects such as haystacks, Japanese foot bridges, the facades of Rouen Cathedral, and his garden at Giverny, produced some of the most recognizable work of Monet’s career. Les Nymphéas, a cycle of mural-sized paintings depicting water lilies, are Monet’s best known subject and were given by the artist to the French state. Gain new insights to these well-known works from the final period of Monet’s life. We’ll also examine the intriguing story of Monet’s friendship with French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and the complicated negotiations that ultimately resulted in an installation of the water lilies series in specially-designed galleries at Paris’ Musée de l’Orangerie.

This class will prepare you for a well-informed visit to the Kimbell Art Museum and its special exhibition Monet: The Late Years (June 16 – September 15, 2019).

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