Modernism And Post Modernism

Monet's intention was to break from classical and traditional forms of painting and pursue new techniques and approaches. Monet had done this by limiting himself to a certain amount of colours and eventually stop using earth colours and black in his colour palette. He would also use light colored canvases and use straight colours on the canvas or mixed colours on the canvas itself which was very unconventional at his time (1886). Another technique he used was 'scumble' which was used to soften the outlines and dull the colours by applying a thin layer of a transparent colour. These techniques are evident in his "Water Lilies" works. Monet once said about his Water Lilies series "It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them." (Monet, 1906) Also the French poet Paul Claudel said: "Thanks to water, [Monet] has become the painter of what we cannot see. He addresses that invisible spiritual surface that separates light from reflection. (Pichon, 1989)

Claude Monet 'Water Lilies' (1920)

Close coming from a mechanical approach to his work, initially intended for his work to be a photographic reference and show clarity of detail. You can see this by his use of grids which he used to sometimes reference and up scale images, hence a lot of his works were portraits of himself and his family and friends. He further developed these traditional techniques and played by building up colour by only using cyan, magenta and yellow which is the same coloring process of a modern printer. He also applied various medias to his work such as in 'Linda' (1975) he uses acrylic, ink and water colour. Close mentions "Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work."(Chandler, 2006) He also says “What difference does it make whether you're looking at a photograph or looking at a still life in front of you? You still have to look.” (Singh, 1998)

Chuck Close 'A Self Portrait' (2007)

Both painters played around with techniques and explored with colour extensively. They both limited themselves by restricting the use of different colours and built up there desired colours using set dynamic colours. They also shared a attraction to vibrant colours which is especially evident in the Monet's Water Lilies series and Close's Close Up. they both also appealed to try capture some element of society, but expressed in different subject matters. Monet painted his perception of everyday living with landscapes and still life where as Close painted portraits which depict that subjects personality. Their styles and approaches are however completely different. Monet tends to express his perception he feels is necessary at the moment he paints, as Close work is well thought out and pre-planned making his work very methodical.

While researching Monet I found him very interesting and respectable in regards of his key role in the impressionism movement. I also especially liked his fascination with the play of light on objects which led him to produce series of single subjects painted at different times of day and under different weather conditions, such as the Haystacks series (1890–91) and Rouen Cathedral (1892–95). I can appreciate Close's work in regards of the amount of detail emphasized in his coloring but i find his subjects not very in depth and interesting. His work seems like they are for him or specific people rather then a audience.


References:

Chandler, O. Y. (2006). Chuck Close. Retrieved from Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/166434.Chuck_Close

Monet. (1906). Water Lillies. Retrieved from Art Quotes: http://www.artquotes.net/masters/monet/water-lilies.htm

Pichon, J.-L. F. (1989). Art of Our Century. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Singh. (1998). Chuck Close Quotes. Retrieved from Think Exist: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/chuck_close/