Kunsthalle Mannheim
)Hector-Bau > Ebene 1 > Kubus 1
Intro
Claude Monet spent almost the whole of 1864 in Honfleur, a town on the coast of Normandy. During this period he produced numerous works capturing both the town on the Atlantic and the surrounding area, frequently painting al fresco. In this almost quadratic view of Honfleur he records the early afternoon play of light. The narrow alley is bordered on the right by houses bathed in sunlight, on the left by deep shadows which extend to the center of the picture, where they form a sharply contoured silhouette.
In a further picture (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), Monet captures this same scene at a different time of day. Even these early, realistically painted works—Monet was 24 years old at the time—bear witness to his interest in the effects of light. The relatively static and compact painting technique also indicates that this painting belongs to his realistic phase. Only later would he record the perceptual impression of light, employing short brushstrokes and colored shadows in the Impressionist manner.
Kunsthalle Mannheim
Transkription
It’s a beautiful summer afternoon in Honfleur. The sky radiates a clear blue. The houses to the left cast their shadows on the narrow road. Those on the right remain bathed in the mild afternoon sunshine, creating the strong contrast line we see in the center of the image.
When he painted this picture, Monet was only 24 years old. He spent almost the entire year of 1864 in Honfleur, a coastal town in Normandy. The French painter created many works here at the Atlantic coast where he captured the town itself as well as the surrounding landscapes.
We can see how important a role the effect of light plays for Monet. Distinctly, he sets off the lighter elements illuminated by the sun against the darker, overshadowed areas. We see this phenomenon clearly on the boy in the center of the image. His feet and lower legs remain in the dark, from his knees on upwards he is illuminated by sunshine. His shadow becomes part of the sharp contour extending along the street.
The unmoving, compact style is representative of the realism inherent in Monet’s earlier artwork. In later years, this cofounder and leading representative of Impressionism will convey his perception of light by using short brushstrokes and colorful shadows.