Charing Cross Bridge (Monet series)

Last updated

Charing Cross Bridge
Monet - Charing Cross Bridge Fog on the Thames, 1903.jpg
Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames
Artist Claude Monet
Year1903
MediumOil on canvas

Charing Cross Bridge is a series of oil paintings by French artist Claude Monet. The paintings depict a misty, impressionist Charing Cross Bridge in London, England. Monet worked on the series from 1899 to 1905, creating a total of 37 paintings depicting the bridge. [1]

Contents

While all of the paintings in the series depict the same bridge, each has unique qualities. For instance, Monet uses different color combinations to portray different atmospheric conditions. In some paintings, Monet includes details such as trains, clock towers, and boats, but omits such features in others. [2]

Today, the Charing Cross Bridge paintings are scattered in museums around the world. These include the Art Institute of Chicago, [3] the Baltimore Museum of Art, [4] the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, [5] the Art Gallery of Ontario [6] and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. [7]

Context

Under exile during the Franco-Prussian War, Monet travelled to London for the first time in 1870. [8] He became enthralled with the city, and vowed to return to it someday. Monet's fascination with London lay primarily in its fogs, [9] a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution. Writers hypothesize that Monet was also inspired by contemporaries J. M. W. Turner and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who were similarly fascinated by London's atmosphere. [2] [9] Thus, in 1899, Monet returned to London and rented a room in the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint from which to begin his series of the city. [8]

Between 1899 and 1905, Monet periodically travelled to London to work on the series. [8] He completed 37 paintings of the Charing Cross Bridge in total. In addition to painting the bridge, Monet painted other landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Bridge. While Monet began all of the paintings in London, he completed many of them in his studio in Giverny, France. As a result, some critics question whether the paintings are completely accurate. [1] On the other hand, recent analyses of solar positioning report that Monet's paintings "contain elements of accurate observation and may potentially be considered as a proxy indicator for the Victorian smogs and atmospheric states they depict." [1]

Description

A picture of the Charing Cross Bridge (also known as the Hungerford Bridge) and the River Thames in London, England. Hungerford Bridge-1.jpg
A picture of the Charing Cross Bridge (also known as the Hungerford Bridge) and the River Thames in London, England.

The 37 paintings share some common features. Across the horizon, Monet portrays the Charing Cross Bridge using thin lines. [2] Although the bridge is consistent across his paintings, it is not entirely representative of the actual bridge. John Sweetnam explains, "Comparisons with the actual bridge show that Monet compressed the solid and open parts of the deck into a mass that is both more consolidated and more extreme in its horizontally." [2]

Although the paintings share much in common, they also have notable differences. In certain versions, Monet includes an obscured train that blows smoke as it travels across the bridge. [2] Some paintings depict a small boat in the bottom left corner; others depict Big Ben and the Victoria Tower in the top right corner. The towers are shadowy outlines at best, leading Rebecca Stern to suggest that Monet "obscures all record of standardized time in his series.” [10]

Interpretation

In this series, Monet represents the same subject in various conditions of light and atmosphere. Specifically, Monet was both captivated and challenged by the ways in which the ever-changing London fog affected the appearance of the bridge. [2] In each of the paintings, Monet surrounds the bridge with enveloppe, a term that he himself defined as "the same light spread over everything." [11] John House further describes this concept, writing that this "colored atmospheric cloak... allowed... [Monet] to give his paintings, both singly and when exhibited in groups, the internal coherence and unity he sought." [11] Indeed, Monet experimented with ambience throughout his career, as seen in his Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and Water Lilies series. [12]

In addition to building upon his previous work, Monet builds upon the foundation laid by his contemporaries. Like Turner, Monet was intrigued by the interplay between subject matter and the outer, natural world. Sweetnam argues, "Charing Cross Bridge with its passing trains made up a subject in which subject content and light, as in Turner, were totally merged." [2] Besides Turner's work, the Charing Cross Bridge series also parallels Whistler's work. In his Nocturne paintings, Whistler advocated for and succeeded in making London an acceptable subject of paintings. While Monet also sought to represent London in his paintings, he did not represent the city in the same muted colors that Whistler used. House views Monet's approach as "very different from that of his contemporaries... Monet's mists are suffused with delicate yet endlessly varied harmonies of colour." [9]

Eight of the paintings in the Charing Cross Bridge series:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Monet</span> French painter (1840–1926)

Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his long career, he was the most consistent and prolific practitioner of Impressionism's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions of nature, especially as applied to plein air (outdoor) landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant, which was first exhibited in the so-called "exhibition of rejects" of 1874–an exhibition initiated by Monet and like-minded artists as an alternative to the Salon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre-Auguste Renoir</span> French painter and sculptor (1841–1919)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Sisley</span> 19th-century France-based British painter

Alfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air. He deviated into figure painting only rarely and, unlike Renoir and Pissarro, he found that Impressionism fulfilled his artistic needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henri-Edmond Cross</span> French Neo-Impressionist painter (1856–1910)

Henri-Edmond Cross, born Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix, was a French painter and printmaker. He is most acclaimed as a master of Neo-Impressionism and he played an important role in shaping the second phase of that movement. He was a significant influence on Henri Matisse and many other artists. His work was instrumental in the development of Fauvism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Robinson</span> 19th-century American impressionist painter

Theodore Robinson was an American painter best known for his Impressionist landscapes. He was one of the first American artists to take up Impressionism in the late 1880s, visiting Giverny and developing a close friendship with Claude Monet. Several of his works are considered masterpieces of American Impressionism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum</span> Art museum in Madrid, Spain

The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Prado Museum on one of the city's main boulevards. It is known as part of the "Golden Triangle of Art", which also includes the Prado and the Reina Sofía national galleries. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English, Dutch and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofía it concerns Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the 20th century.

The year 1899 in art involved some significant events.

<i>San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk</i> 1908 painting by Claude Monet

Saint-Georges majeur au crépuscule refers to an Impressionist painting by Claude Monet, which exists in more than one version. It forms part of a series of views of the monastery-island of San Giorgio Maggiore. This series is in turn part of a larger series of views of Venice which Monet began in 1908 during his only visit there.

Claude Monet painted several series of nearly 100 impressionist oil paintings of different views of the Thames River in the autumn of 1899 and the early months of 1900 and 1901 during stays in London. One of these series consists of views of the Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament, and he began the first of these paintings at about 15.45 on 13 February 1900. All of the series' paintings share the same viewpoint from Monet's window or a terrace at St Thomas' Hospital overlooking the Thames and the approximate canvas size of 81 cm × 92 cm. They are, however, painted during different times of the day and weather conditions.

<i>Rouen Cathedral</i> (Monet series) 1892–1894 series of paintings by Claude Monet

The Rouen Cathedral series was painted in the 1890s by French impressionist Claude Monet. The paintings in the series each capture the façade of Rouen Cathedral at different times of the day and year and reflect changes in its appearance under different lighting conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunsthal</span> Art museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands

The Kunsthal is an art space in Rotterdam. It opened in 1992.

<i>Water Lilies</i> (Monet series) Series of paintings by Claude Monet

Water Lilies is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artistic production during the last thirty years of his life. Many of the works were painted while Monet suffered from cataracts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night in paintings (Western art)</span> Overview of nighttime themes in European art

The depiction of night in paintings is common in Western art. Paintings that feature a night scene as the theme may be religious or history paintings, genre scenes, portraits, landscapes, or other subject types. Some artworks involve religious or fantasy topics using the quality of dim night light to create mysterious atmospheres. The source of illumination in a night scene—whether it is the moon or an artificial light source—may be depicted directly, or it may be implied by the character and coloration of the light that reflects from the subjects depicted. They are sometimes called nocturnes, or night-pieces, such as Rembrandt's The Night Watch, or the German Romantic Caspar David Friedrich's Two Men Contemplating the Moon of 1819.

Thomas Agnew & Sons is a fine arts dealer in London that began as a print and publishing partnership between Thomas Agnew and Vittore Zanetti in Manchester in 1817. Agnew ended the partnership by taking full control of the company in 1835. The firm opened its London gallery in 1860, where it soon established itself as a leading art dealership in Mayfair. Since then, Agnew's has held a pre-eminent position in the world of Old Master paintings. It also had a major role in the massive growth of a market for contemporary British art in the late 19th century. Agnew's closed in 2013. The brand name was sold privately and the gallery is now run by Lord Anthony Crichton-Stuart, a former head of Christie's Old Master paintings department, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fondation Monet in Giverny</span> Nonprofit that preserves the estate of Claude Monet in Giverny, France

The Fondation Claude Monet is a nonprofit that manages the house and gardens of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, where Monet lived and painted for 43 years. Monet was inspired by his gardens, and spent years transforming them, planting thousands of flowers. He believed that it was important to surround himself with nature and paint outdoors. He created many paintings of his house and gardens, especially of water lilies in the pond, the Japanese bridge, and a weeping willow tree.

<i>Le Grand Canal</i> 1908 painting by Claude Monet

Le Grand Canal is an oil on canvas painting by French Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840–1926). It is one of six paintings looking down the Grand Canal towards the Salute church. This Grand Canal series is in turn part of a larger series of paintings of Venice which Monet undertook during 1908 on his only visit to the city. The artist is generally regarded by art historians as being at the peak of his powers at this period. The paintings were begun en plein air and completed in France.

Monet painted 37 works of Venice which he began during his stay in the city in 1908. These include a series of canvases of the Grand Canal. He had the habit of studying the same subject in a varying light, at different times of the day, which resulted during his career in many distinct series, like for example the Water Lilies series, Poplar series, Rouen Cathedral series, Haystacks series and Charing Cross Bridge series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Ange Duez</span> French painter (1843–1896)

Ernest Ange Duez was a French painter of genre scenes, portraits, landscapes and religious subjects.

<i>Waterloo Bridge</i> (Monet series) 1900–1903 series of paintings by Claude Monet

Waterloo Bridge is a series of 41 impressionist oil paintings of the 1807–1810 Waterloo Bridge in London by Claude Monet, produced between 1900 and 1904 and forming a sub-series within his larger 'London series' alongside the Charing Cross Bridge series and the Houses of Parliament series.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Baker, Jacob; Thornes, John E (2006-12-08). "Solar position within Monet's Houses of Parliament". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 462 (2076): 3775–3788. Bibcode:2006RSPSA.462.3775B. doi:10.1098/rspa.2006.1754. S2CID   129004829.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sweetman, John (2019-05-23). The Artist and the Bridge 1700–1920. doi:10.4324/9780429440083. ISBN   978-0-429-44008-3. S2CID   241749768.
  3. ↑ "Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1901". Art Institute of Chicago . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Charing Cross Bridge". Baltimore Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Charing Cross Bridge (overcast day), 1900". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Claude Monet, Charing Cross Bridge, Fog". Art Gallery of Ontario . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Claude Monet Charing Cross Bridge 1899". Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 Khan, Soraya; Thornes, John E.; Baker, Jacob; Olson, Donald W.; Doescher, Russell L. (2010). "Monet at the Savoy". Area. 42 (2): 208–216. Bibcode:2010Area...42..208K. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4762.2009.00913.x. ISSN   1475-4762.
  9. 1 2 3 House, John (1991). Monet (3rd ed.). London: Phaidon. ISBN   0-7148-2723-1. OCLC   28061909.
  10. ↑ Stern, Rebecca (2009-09-18). "Time Passes". Narrative. 17 (3): 235–241. doi:10.1353/nar.0.0031. ISSN   1538-974X. S2CID   201791670.
  11. 1 2 House, John, 1945–2012. (1986). Monet, nature into art. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN   0-300-03785-6. OCLC   15285012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Pelfrey, Robert H. (1985). Art and mass media. Hall-Pelfrey, Mary. (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row. ISBN   0-06-045112-2. OCLC   12161940.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Hungerford Bridge by Claude Monet at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.