Monet & architecture

This exhibition catalogue features 77 of Claude Monet's paintings of buildings and, for comparison, photographic images for the period from 1860 to 1912. The works are discussed chronologically, following Monet's travels throughout cities in Europe and the Mediterranean. Monet selected his subjects carefully, capturing the excitement of a bustling street scene, the quiet timelessness of a seaside village, or the dreamy vision of an ancient monument. These motifs reflect the world in which Monet lived--his friendships, tourism culture, the intellectual climate. Though some of these themes have been explored in other books, the comparisons between historical photographs and Monet's paintings provide unique insight into Monet's process of converting architecture and the surrounding environment into colorful strokes of light, texture, and reflection. Monet edited details as he saw fit, to manipulate both the natural and the man-made. The full-page close-ups of Monet's thickly applied brushwork are a nice addition and complement the text. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. --Rachel Marie Cooke, Florida Gulf Coast University

This large-format book accompanies a recent exhibition at the National Gallery in London and boasts more than 200 color illustrations. Thomson (fine arts, Univ. of Edinburgh; Monet: A Bridge to Modernity) serves as the guest curator. Known for his Impressionist landscape paintings, Claude Monet (1840-1926) also drew city and rural scenes, including many buildings, with some of his series capturing landmark structures. The narrative spans the 1860s to 1912, when the artist worked in France, England, the Netherlands, and Italy. The author describes Monet as often painting old buildings with irregular massing. He also chose views of structures in natural settings, creating visual contrast. Subjects include the Rouen Cathedral, Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, the Doge's Palace, and San Giorgio Maggiore. As Thomson notes, Monet was very concerned with reproducing the changing light and color effects on and around these structures. VERDICT Thomson's thorough study of Monet's early and middle career puts architecture in context as an element of the artist's work to create, part of his rare blend of "the picturesque, the modern, and the mysterious."-David R. Conn, formerly with Surrey Libs., BC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.