Monet: The Bigger Picture
“For art lovers and lovers of fine books, Monet: The Bigger Picture is an essential purchase. The work‘s presentation and construction is a high art in itself.“
No shortage exists of important and illuminating books on the life and work of the brilliant French painter, Claude Monet (1840–1926). Although little can be added to the great canon of fine art literature regarding the Impressionists, now we have another book on the artist: Monet: The Bigger Picture, with text by Anne Sefrioui. And this book, translated from the French in an English edition, is an extremely successful addition to the genre.
Monet’s great painting, Impression, Sunrise, which was first exhibited furtively in 1874, shattered conventional thinking about painting and accidentally provided the name for the Impressionist movement. The leading art critics of the day were shocked by Monet’s audacity and the French public was perplexed by the sudden rejection of the classical rules of art that were mandated by the Academies, salons, and schools of the time.
Monet showed five paintings in a somewhat “pop-up“ exhibtion with 30 other independent artists at the art studio of the photographer, Nadar. The prominent art critic, Louis Leroy, seeing Monet’s title, mocked the “Impressionists“ but the name was proudly adopted by the practicioners of this new and vibrant avant-garde. “Monet spear-headed the movement and played the peacemaker with great diplomacy.“
For the Impressionists, painting became more than mere representation. Painting became an affirmation and insistence on the important presence of the artist’s sensibilities and the artist’s feelings for the subject. Monet and his colleagues created a new poetic and painterly language with lurid brushtrokes and radiant colors. In 1870s France this transformation was staggering in its boldness. To some it was heresy; to others, heroic.
History has confirmed the heroism. The artistic dynamism of the Impressionists was revolutionary and no artist personified this bold attack on tradition more than Claude Monet. Many of the great art movements of the 20th century, among them Dynamism, Futurism, Cubism, and Abstract Expessionism, flowed directly from the Impressionists and their daring innovation in the face of relentless attack and vilification.
Given Monet’s place in the pantheon of great artists, it must have been a challenge for the author and publisher of a new monograph to create a book that can be added to Monet’s coveted place in the great art libraries of the world. Fortunately, a new biography and tribute has emerged through Monet:The Bigger Picture that elevates the universal acclaim for Monet to an even higher level.
Monet created a beautiful archive of over 2000 works. He often struggled financially; he wasn’t born to a wealthy family. But he never compromised his principles. He found fame without a dealer or patron early in his life. Today social media and influencers can be requirements for fame. Monet‘s genius was pure, and its magnetism drew others to him without any press or promotion. He created his fame solely through his art.
The reader of Monet: The Bigger Picture can experience the sensation of sitting next to Monet, en plein air, before the easel, as Monet records nature with a special appreciation for its light, air, and water. The reader will begin to see and feel the world through Monet’s eyes. Despite living in an age of war, political turbulence, and dazzling technological advances, including the automobile and the airplane, Monet stayed true to his aesthetic vision. Monet’s work is beautiful and evocative, sensual and soulful. His palette stayed pastel in an often somber world. Beauty was Monet‘s lighthouse and touchstone.
The creators of Monet: The Bigger Picture have produced a book that uses “content“ in a manner that is of equal importance to the “construct“ of the work. The designers of this new book have created a labor of love which is also a work of art. The writing by the author, Anne Sefrioui, is informative and insightful throughout.
The use of half-tones, bleeds, color tipping of pages, six large-format fold-outs, and exceptionally thick paper all combine to create a product that is simultaneously inspired by Monet and is a paen to Monet’s legacy. The quality of the reproductions of his paintings is astonishing, far better than those seen in most art books. Quite simply, the book designers have assembled a three-dimensional homage to Monet’s beautiful two-dimensional canvases.
The author, publishers, and designers are to be congratulated for redefining how an art book can appear. The book is a great read, but it also has a tactile comfort in one’s hands; its size and weight are perfect. The beautiful, embossed cover serves as a perfect gateway to Monet’s life and work .
All the technical wizardry that the designers and the publisher utilized to create this work could easily have justified a higher price. But at the risk of a petty criticism of such a wonderful book, it would have been preferable to an American audience, including a metric-ignorant reviewer, if the dimensions for the high-quality reproductions were also in inches, in addition to centimeters.
For art lovers and lovers of fine books, Monet: The Bigger Picture is an essential purchase. The work‘s presentation and construction is a high art in itself. This is a book that can make one’s coffee table proud.