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jencoppens's review
3.0
Do you ever miss your ignorance? I seem to be reading a series of books about historical figures that destroy the nice little image I had wrongly made up for them. So, spoiler alert: Claude Monet was not exactly a kind hearted zen-like sweet grandpa type with a twinkle in his eye.
Nope. I know. Let that sink in. He was self-absorbed and temperamental. He was far from a people person and occasionally, he took knives and torches to paintings that weren't going his way. He complained of not being supported in his youth, but when he gained money and influence, he did nothing to support young artists who admired him. He seemed quite annoyed by them.
The book is well written, and has some interesting background to the era. It focuses on the last half of his life. The war was flaring up, political strife brewed, but he didn't let any of that affect him too much. His war was with the art community. His works were not embraced by early critics. "Just an impression" they wrote. He insisted he was a plein-air painter and never touched a painting in a studio. He worked to capture scenes in different times and lights, but he clearly finished many of his paintings in his studio.
Popular opinion did come come around to adore his work before he passed.
Nope. I know. Let that sink in. He was self-absorbed and temperamental. He was far from a people person and occasionally, he took knives and torches to paintings that weren't going his way. He complained of not being supported in his youth, but when he gained money and influence, he did nothing to support young artists who admired him. He seemed quite annoyed by them.
The book is well written, and has some interesting background to the era. It focuses on the last half of his life. The war was flaring up, political strife brewed, but he didn't let any of that affect him too much. His war was with the art community. His works were not embraced by early critics. "Just an impression" they wrote. He insisted he was a plein-air painter and never touched a painting in a studio. He worked to capture scenes in different times and lights, but he clearly finished many of his paintings in his studio.
Popular opinion did come come around to adore his work before he passed.
veramarsova's review
3.0
Monet’s paintings are “made from a dream and a magical breath...leaving for the eyes only a mad enchantment that convulses vision, reveals an unsuspected nature, lifts it up unto the symbol by way of this unreal and vertiginous execution.”This opus is a most curious amalgamation of genuinely insightful commentary on Monet's life in general and his final canvases in particular, and the most tedious details of all the bureaucratic process associated with the installation of said canvases (which somehow took hours of audiobook, I kid you not).
sharon_geitz's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating, readable account of the pinnacle of Monet's work and the artist's declining years. A Mad enchantment, indeed, obsessive, and plagued by perfectionism. The book is interesting for the wider context in which it places Monet's; "Grand decoration" and for the insight it gives into the enduring friendship between Monet and "the tiger" of French politics Georges Clemenceau. The book could just have easily been entitled The Tiger and The Hedgehog, the title of the first chapter, which introduces the role of Clemenceau's friendship with Monet in the creation of what is one of the great art experiences of the modern world, the Water Lilly galleries at the Musee de l'Orangerie. Thanks to the google art project, the water lily collection can be virtually experienced here: http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/water-lilies-virtual-visit , (perhaps not quite, a substitute for a trip to Paris to see the real thing, but at least considerably cheaper). Really enjoyed this book.
bradleygiselle's review
2.0
I tried starting this book 5 times before I was able to get past the first 10 pages. That was a sign. I did read this in it's entirety but I was bored 97% of the time. It was a mixture of the writing and the narrator (I listened on audio surprise, surprise!) This just didn't work for me. Long tangents and off-shoots made it difficult to follow what was happening. I would often forget what the original point was by the time he got back to it.
rissa1516's review
4.0
I've always left Monet paintings and looking at them in my mom's coffee table book growing up. this book give insight into who Monet was at the time he was painting his water lilies. I enjoyed learning about Monet the person and the painter however parts of the book would jump from different years and even different decades. this I didn't like but it was more so of a personal preference as I find learning about someone is easiest from start to finish and not jumbled.
rhodesgiselle's review
2.0
I tried starting this book 5 times before I was able to get past the first 10 pages. That was a sign. I did read this in it's entirety but I was bored 97% of the time. It was a mixture of the writing and the narrator (I listened on audio surprise, surprise!) This just didn't work for me. Long tangents and off-shoots made it difficult to follow what was happening. I would often forget what the original point was by the time he got back to it.
karenllowe's review
3.0
An interesting view into Claude Monet's life and times. They book made him come to life for me, whether that was a good thing or not, I'm not sure. I love his paintings but the book made me see him as a rather privileged yet polar man. Seems that most artists waffle between elated inspiration and black insecurity. A good read anyway. Ross King makes him come to life and weaves in history, politics and the lives of other artists.
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
It's not often I come across a book about Monet in his later years. This book is an in depth look at an artistic movement and what happens when most of the world has moved on-- how Monet deals with war, old age, and loss. The most touching study is the friendship between Monet and Clemenceau. Enjoyable read.
sharon4d046's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating, readable account of the pinnacle of Monet's work and the artist's declining years. A Mad enchantment, indeed, obsessive, and plagued by perfectionism. The book is interesting for the wider context in which it places Monet's; "Grand decoration" and for the insight it gives into the enduring friendship between Monet and "the tiger" of French politics Georges Clemenceau. The book could just have easily been entitled The Tiger and The Hedgehog, the title of the first chapter, which introduces the role of Clemenceau's friendship with Monet in the creation of what is one of the great art experiences of the modern world, the Water Lilly galleries at the Musee de l'Orangerie. Thanks to the google art project, the water lily collection can be virtually experienced here: http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/water-lilies-virtual-visit , (perhaps not quite, a substitute for a trip to Paris to see the real thing, but at least considerably cheaper). Really enjoyed this book.