#CLAUDE MONET'S IMPRESSION SUNRISE FULL#
#CLAUDE MONET'S IMPRESSION SUNRISE SERIES#

The term of the group of artists was coined Impressionists by art critic Louis Leroy (1812-1885) after he visited an exhibition they held in April 1874. It was displayed at the first Impressionist exhibition The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet / Wiki Commons 5. They used a similar type of loose brushstrokes as Impressionists and one of its most famous members was Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), the man who painted the iconic work “ The Gleaners” in 1857. They mostly painted landscapes and farmers at work as a reaction to the drama of the Romantic artists who were dominant in this period in the 19th century. The name Impressionism wasn’t new at all as it had been used to describe the effects of the Barbizon School, an art movement of Realism artists. From this title, critics started referring to this group of artists the Impressionists.

He quickly wrote “Impression” because he was unable to come up with a fitting title for the work. When Monet had to come up with a title for this painting he was aware of the fact that he couldn’t name it “View of Le Havre,” although he had painted it out of his Le Havre window. The reason why the group of artists who emerged during the 1870s was referred to as the Impressionists has a rather remarkable backstory. It defined the art movement but the term Impressionism wasn’t new Black and white version of the painting / Wiki Commons 4. This is caused by the visual cortex of the brain which perceives color rather than luminance. If you strip away the colors and make a black and white copy of the painting, the sun almost completely disappears. One of the most remarkable facts about Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet is that the brightness of the sun is equal to that of the sky.

The loose brushstrokes that defined the style of the Impressionists diminish the boundaries between objects. Your attention is instantly drawn toward the sun, an element that appears to be the brightest feature in the entire composition.ĭespite being such a bright source of light, it’s hard to differentiate the sky from the sea and the details are barely visible as well. The sun is rising as the viewer gazes upon a hazy view of the port of Le Havre. The sun in the painting isn’t the brightest element A view of the port of Le Havre in modern times / Philippe Alès / Wiki Commons 3. You can see two small rowboats in the foreground, some larger fishing boats in the middle of the painting, and large clipper ships with tall masts in the background. The Seine River and its location on the English Channel turned the port of Le Havre into a thriving commercial center following the Franco-Prussian War, and Monet captured the activity of the city’s port in the early morning. With a population of approximately 170,000 inhabitants today, it’s the largest city in the Upper Normandy region in the northwest of France. The name of this city translates to “The Harbour” or “The Port” and it’s located on the right bank of the Seine River. The painting depicts a hazy view of the port of Monet’s hometownĬlaude Monet was born in Paris but his family moved to the French port city of Le Havre.

#CLAUDE MONET'S IMPRESSION SUNRISE FULL#

Full view of the painting / Wiki Commons 2. He painted Impression, Sunrise shortly after in the year 1872.

#CLAUDE MONET'S IMPRESSION SUNRISE SERIES#

He moved to Argenteuil in 1871 where he produced a series of poppy fields and Impressionist paintings of his wife and son during their walks in the area around their house. The Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870 and the French artist exiled himself and his family to London where he met some more influential artists, including the famous American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler. He met several of his future colleagues while studying in Paris in the late 1850s and his career started to take off in the 1860s. It was painted in the early 1870sĬlaude Monet painted one of his most important works over 2 decades after he entered the Le Havre secondary school of the arts.

Claude monet's impression sunrise