Palpable Freedom in Claude Monet’s Giverny Home: The Visible and Obscure Manifestations of Japonisme

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

The latter half of the nineteenth century in France saw a rise of interest in Japanese culture which visually manifested itself in western art in a variety of ways. Claude Monet was one of the artists fascinated by the new aesthetics. The influence of Japanese art on Monet’s paintings has been well documented, especially when considering his lush blue and green paintings from the garden of Giverny. However, scholars have not considered the multiple other ways that Japanese art and culture provided an escape for Monet. This paper examines the avant-garde interior of the Giverny home, how Monet arranged Japanese prints and paintings throughout his home, and argues how Japanese art provided him an escape from reality. Monet was not only influenced by the minimalist outlines and vibrant colors of the prints but also by a desire to distance himself from the French nineteenth-century bourgeois culture. This argument is strengthened when considering other artists that were inspired by Japanese art during the Impressionist period.

Presenting Author Name/s

Kayla Everett

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Agnieszka Whelan

College Affiliation

College of Arts & Letters

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Disciplines

Interior Design | Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Painting | Printmaking | Theory and Criticism

Session Title

Art History 3: Matters of Interpretation

Location

Zoom Room R

Start Date

3-20-2021 12:00 PM

End Date

3-20-2021 12:55 PM

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Mar 20th, 12:00 PM Mar 20th, 12:55 PM

Palpable Freedom in Claude Monet’s Giverny Home: The Visible and Obscure Manifestations of Japonisme

Zoom Room R

The latter half of the nineteenth century in France saw a rise of interest in Japanese culture which visually manifested itself in western art in a variety of ways. Claude Monet was one of the artists fascinated by the new aesthetics. The influence of Japanese art on Monet’s paintings has been well documented, especially when considering his lush blue and green paintings from the garden of Giverny. However, scholars have not considered the multiple other ways that Japanese art and culture provided an escape for Monet. This paper examines the avant-garde interior of the Giverny home, how Monet arranged Japanese prints and paintings throughout his home, and argues how Japanese art provided him an escape from reality. Monet was not only influenced by the minimalist outlines and vibrant colors of the prints but also by a desire to distance himself from the French nineteenth-century bourgeois culture. This argument is strengthened when considering other artists that were inspired by Japanese art during the Impressionist period.