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The forty-year
study by Daniel Wildenstein of Claude Monet’s detailed biography and
exhaustive catalogue took a massive amount of work. The research
endeavor produced a remarkable profile of Claude Monet’s life.
The successful
conclusion to this venture has brought us a wealth of information.
The endeavor enlightens us of the hardship the father of
Impressionism had to endure to stand by his convictions. It must
have been tempting for Monet to conform to the old system; however
his steadfastness produced a basket of art treasures for the world.
Monet endured ridicule by the public and even his family with his
paintings. He painted out of character and as Daniel Wildenstein
mentions; his love of Camille was another confrontational subject.
1862
Le Harve- Jonkind begins
Monet’s education (p.39) then on to Paris in late autumn where he is
recommended by Toulmouche to enter Gleyres Academy (p.45) Bazille,
Monet, Renoir and Sisley immediately become friends. (p.46)
1863
In the spring Gleyre
tells Bazille, Monet and Renoir to work outside the studio, they do
so (p.49) Soon thereafter Monet quits the Academy.
1864
On November 6, 1864-
seeking to leave the Normandy Coast with out dishonorably avoiding
payments of his debts, Monet knew not “which way to turn”, a
pressing demand was sent to Bazille, who must have responded,
because Monet returned to Paris before the end of the year. He bore
with him a considerable harvest of studies of Saint-Adresse, most of
them of Honfleur. (p.53)
Bazille left the studio he was sharing
with L. E. Villa and went to paint in
Monet’s studio until he found a large flat with studio on the sixth
floor of 6 Rue de Furslenberg where he could both live and work.
The studio was spacious enough to be used by Monet too, who thus
saved some money, though he took on a share of the rent. Bazille’s
family also came up with money and Bazille was finally able to move
in during the last days of 1864.
A tradition derived from Monet’s own
words, has it from a window at 6 Rue de Furslenberg, he and Bazille
watched Delacroix at work in his studio. It is true that the garden
windows of the studio gave a view of Delacroix’s studio. We know
what one corner of the studio looked like, since Bazille painted it.
(B-1) Note: Could this be the garden window Camille is
sitting next to in this discovered masterpiece. Bazille who
favored landscapes populated with figures painted the studio
disserted but visitors to the studio were not lacking. There were
old friends from the Gleyer studio, such as Renoir, Sisley and
Pisarro whom Monet meets earlier at the Academia Suisse; and
Cezanne, who had entered the academy shortly after Monet had left
for the army. Gilbert A. Severac another visitor, painted Monet’s
portrait in 1865. We see him clean shaven, romantic locks falling
over the collar of his striped jacket, his gaze serious and
determined. (GS-1) Note: This suggests the trait of many
young lovers who want to look their very best for their love
interest. Monet’s social activities were not allowed to stand in
the way of his work. His goal was the Salon of 1865. He chose to
concentrate on two views of the estuary, one from Honfleur and the
other from Saint Adresse (51) (52).
Working feverishly he was able to deposit the work before the March
20th deadline. Having met the deadline, he could take
himself off to Chailly. “We are expecting you” he wrote to Bazille
on April 9th: he was not, apparently, alone. Note:
The contention could be that he was accompanied by Camille. Daniel
describes on pg. 60 “the model was Camille Leonie Doncieux, his new
conquest, a nineteen year old whose family had come to the capital
from Lyon when she was very young.”
“On April 28th, the
invitation was renewed and Monet promised to return to Paris for the
opening of the Salon. Monet was at the Palais de 1’Industrie
opening, his paintings were a success. But without waiting for the
eulogies to reach the press, Monet took the train for Melun where a
regular coach-service to Chailly was available. In his haste he had
forgotten to pack paper and pencils, and wrote to Bazille to bring
these and a little cash. To hasten his arrival, he inferred that
“the young Gabrielle was on her way.” (p.56) Note: This
suggests by Daniel, Monet’s state of mind. While back in Paris to
receive the outcome of his submissions to the Salon he was a
success. His mind set was not to stay to receive the eulogies, but
to return as soon as possible to Chailly, to Camille forgetting his
papers, pencils and exhorting his friend to join him in loves
adventure.
Bazille joined Monet in Chailly from
May through September1865. The traditional motifs afforded by
Chailly; a farmyard, (55a) the beaches of the Pave de Chailly, (52)
the oaks of the Bas-breau. (60) (p.58) Monet made fragmentary
studies at Chailly; the size of the painting dictated that it could
not be produced out-of-doors. These were not the main reasons for
Monet’s haste. Monet produced at this time; The Walker (61),
The Luncheon on the Grass (62), The Luncheon on the Grass (Central
Panel)
(63-2) and Woman in the Garden (67).
With the autumn of 1865 coming on, he left Chailly and returned to
the studio in the Ru de Furstenberg. In October he finished with
models in the studio. Monet abandoned the project for the salon,
because it was so difficult and expensive. In addition he had to
leave the excellent studio at Ru de Furstenberg in Janauary 1866.
1866 commences with Camille posing for
the painting ‘The Woman in the Green Dress’ (65).
In the spring he moves to the suburbs,
“by escaping from Paris he had hoped to put his stock of paintings
out of reach of his creditors” (p.61) Summer he and Camille move to
Honfleur, more financial problems ensue “Monet told R. Gimpel that
he had taken a knife to 200 pictures. Thiebault-Sisson’s account of
200 pictures confiscated over a period of six years seems more in
line with reality” (p.63).
1867
Before the end of winter
Monet finishes ‘Women in the Garden’ (67) Spring, Monet and Renoir work in the Colonnade de Louvre, “Camille
was pregnant and the birth was expected in the summer” (p.67)
August, son Jean is born. He leaves Camille behind. “To escape
financial worries he plunged into his work with renewed ardor, by
June he had some twenty pictures” (p.67) The pictures of Jean in his
Cradle (101) “tells us that Monet returned to Paris several times
after his son’s birth”. (p.69)
1868
Monet and family move to
Benecourt in the spring, painting usual subjects. In September he
paints portraits again. (121)
1869
In the spring he returns
to his family, painting (129), (132), (133),
(135) and in the winter he
paints ‘The Luncheon’ (134). Renoir lives nearby and the two of
them paint together. When bad weather comes they paint still life’s
(139), (141).
“Before leaving
Bougival in early spring with Camille and Jean, Monet deposited a
number of pictures with Pissaro at Louveciennes to avoid their being
distained. (p.83) Vol. 1
“Paris was
besieged and its suburbs occupied. Pissaro learnt that his house
had been requisitioned and some of his paintings vandalized by
soldiers. Monet was directly affected by this news, as he had left
paintings with Pissarro, but was eventually able to recover most of
these. (p.88, Vol 1)
When Monet fled
to England when the war broke out Daniel writes:
“It seems, then
that Monet had taken some of his most recent studies with him to
London, unless they had come with Camille, who is generally thought
to have arrived a little later than her husband.”( p.86,Vol 1)
Upon their
departure from England it is said:
“Delayed by last
minute difficulties, Monet eventually left England only in late
May. He left behind a certain number of pictures and no regrets at
all for what he ironically called “this charming country”. (p. 88,
Vol 1)
“Of the various
pictures painted at Bennecourt in the spring of 1868, we know of a
rough sketch sold to Zacharie Astruc, since lost , and a fine
painting usually called River Scene at Bennecourt (110) for lack of
a more specific identification.” (p.70, Vol 1)
“Neither Monet
nor Pissaro had paintings accepted by the Royal Academy, but they
were both included in the International Fine Arts Exhibition that
opened on 1 May in Kensington and for which Du Sommerard, the
General Commissioner for France had requested Durand-Ruel’s aid.
The catalogue mentions two Monet titles, Meditation, Mrs. Monet
Sitting on a Sofa, entitled Repose (163)
and an unidentified portrait of Camille.” (p.87 Vol 1)
In referring to
1872 Monet’s first year in Argenteuil Daniel Wildenstein writes, “If
we add Jean Monet on his Horse Tricycle (238) and a few still
life’s, we have a fairly complete record of what survives of his
outstandingly prolific first year in Argenteuil.” (p.99, Vol 1) (244),
(245)
“We have seen
that in January 1874, although the exhibition preparations were in
full swing. Monet left Argenteuil for Le Havre. Toward the end of
the winter, he again absented himself; this time he went to
Amsterdam. This second stay in Holland, for which the proof is some
dozen undated paintings, is thought by some biographers to have
occurred in 1872; stylistic reasons make 1874 the likelier date. No
Monet letter exists for the period 23 January to 1 April. Two of
the twelve Amsterdam paintings are of snow, and we know that it
snowed in Amsterdam on February 1874. The later paintings show
trees just coming into leaf. Was this possible in March 1874? Did
Monet make a further brief trip to Amsterdam after opening of the
exhibition? We do not know.” (p.108, Vol 1)
This suggests
that there are paintings of Monet that are still unaccounted and
undocumented. As stated earlier we do know that there is no full
account of Monet’s life or his work.
All excerpts are
from: MONET Or The Triumph Of Impressionism, Taschen Wildenstein
Institute, Daniel Wildenstein, Vol 1 Catalogue Raisonne of Claude
Monet, Copyright 1996
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