Monet's London came rolling into town this past week with the goal of introducing us to the city that came to be known as "Monet's turf" during the late 1880s--. One of the most famous Impressionists, Monet painted London not as the polluted, industrialized wasteland so many of his contemporaries saw, but instead as a misty, beautiful city. The exhibit, showing at the Baltimore Museum of Art, will be on display until Dec. 31 and highlights the surrounding artistic landscape leading up to Monet's famous London paintings. It accomplishes this difficult task by devoting not one but eight rooms to other artists' work. These other rooms contain various paintings, photographs and etchings of late 19th-century London by Monet's contemporaries, while only one room houses actual artwork by Monet.
On the plus side, the exhibit opens with a Monet, one of his famous "Waterloo Bridge" paintings from 1903. It is a misty, light pink and blue haze of a painting that is hard to appreciate immediately. It is difficult to stop and contemplate the unique, dissolving atmosphere of Monet's Thames as crowds walk in behind you.
The next several rooms are dedicated to Jules Bastien-Lepage's naturalist paintings and William Strudwick's realist photographs. These works form a stark contrast to Monet's subjective style. Monet is generally credited with including a more personal, emotional perspective in oil painting. Strudwick's photographs look like they were taken straight out of a history textbook; they factually document the building of embankments along London's Thames River. These realist photographs are only included in this expansive exhibit to demonstrate what the Thames looked like to a real eye, or a camera lens, as opposedto Monet's serene, interpretiveperspective.
Another painter, who, likeMonet, executed a series of paintingsof the Thames, David Roberts'works are prominently displayed atthe exhibit. Most of Roberts' worksfocused on the newly built Parliamentbuilding, as he went out of hisway to paint on the rare days withoutfog in order to get a clear, unadulteratedimage of the buildingand the neighboring Thames River.Monet, on the other hand, wouldlater use the fog to his advantage inorder to convey subtle effects oflight.
Monet was, in fact, returningto London for a second time whenhe began painting his version ofthe Thames. He had sought refugein the city in 1870 during theFranco-Prussian War, and, returningalmost twenty years later,set to work capturing the etherealbeauty of the polluted Thames,which smelled of raw sewage. Thestriking element of Monet's workis that this beauty is an actuality.Monet managed to look beyondthe refuse that littered turn-of-thecenturyLondon, finding thebeauty in the light itself. Thepainter was dedicated to expressingthe envelope, as he called it, orthe atmospheric filter between theeye and external image. Monet'spaintings of the Thames show adelicate interplay between lightand mist unrealized in any of theearlier portrayals of the Thames.
There are some noteworthypieces to see by other artists in theexhibit, such as George Chamber'swatercolor of Queen Victoria at theopening of the Blackfriars Bridge.Equally notable is the work of JamesMcNeill Whistler, one of whoseNocturnes is on display. The pieceis a painting of a very deep blue fogin which a small number of lightsare barely visible. This sort of rebellionagainst naturalistic realismbrought him much criticism in the late 19th century, prompting a libellawsuit on Whistler's part after hesued a critic who panned his work.Whistler won the suit but was onlyawarded a farthing (about a fractionof a penny) and, as a result,lived the rest of his life dirt-poor.However, his use of mist and fogand his almost abstract paintingssurely influenced Monet.
Self-taught artist John AtkinsonGrimshaw's "The Thames by Moonlight"is exceptionally stunning. Thepainting looks as if it is illuminatedby an electric moon. This use ofmist and the dark silhouettes of theboats and docks on the shore createan eerie, effervescent atmosphere.Also, French artist Andre Derain'svirtually abstract paintings, including"London Bridge", are must-sees."London Bridge" has blue and pinkboats drawn like hasty lines in swiftmotion against a hovering white sky,which combines with the water tocloak the rest of the painting. Hewas obviously influenced by Monet,and his paintings were widely accepted due to Monet's breaking thesubjective barrier. After Monet, artbecame most relevant in an impressionisticform.
And now to the Monets. Afterwalking through so many roomsof other artists, it is surprising tosee how much the master's paintingsstand out from every otherpiece of work in the exhibit. Thereis nothing like stepping into aroom of Monets. It is a tangiblefeeling of something inspiring,something like light emanatingfrom the paintings themselves.There are three paintings of theWaterloo Bridge on the left wall,three paintings of the House ofParliament on the right wall, andthe far wall consisted of four paintingsof the Charing Cross Bridgeand one rare version of the CharingCross which was never completed.Each painting is done at a differenttime of day, with differentcolors and subtle interplays oflight.
Each of the four paintings ofthe Charing Cross Bridge is done from the same vantage point, yetone must keep looking back andforth between them to realize theyare of the same landscape. It iseasy to spend a good hour in thislast room, which, after the eightprevious rooms of anticipation,renders its predecessors purposeful.Even on the way out, as youbacktrack past paintings you'vejust seen, there's something aboutthe effect that Monet's paintingshave on the eyes that makes all ofthe other artists' paintings evenmore beautiful. While the numberof rooms in Monet's Londonmight be a little much, everyHopkins student should walkaround the block one afternoon,proudly display his or her J-Card(which gets you in for free) andsee these paintings in person. Youreyes will feel be grateful.
Monet's London will be showing atthe BMA until Dec. 31. The Museumis open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdaythrough Friday and 11 a.m. to 6p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
