#CourtauldGallery

[inabigdanceskin]

Frank Auerbach: The Charcoal Heads, The Courtauld Gallery, London. Saturday 24 February 2024.

[marketingpicnic]

A Mesmerizing Mirage": How Monet's Paintings Transformed Our Perception of London

Claude Monet’s revolutionary depictions of London, particularly his fog-shrouded visions of the Thames, have forever altered how the world sees the British capital. A new exhibition, Monet and London: Views of the Thames at the Courtauld Gallery, explores the French Impressionist’s groundbreaking work and how his ethereal paintings reshaped the city’s image.

Monet’s Vision Beyond Reality

Some artists capture the world with stunning accuracy, while others, like Monet, go beyond mere representation. Between 1899 and 1901, during three extended stays in London, Monet embarked on an ambitious series of nearly 100 paintings. These works, centered around the Thames River, are not just landscapes but explorations of light and atmosphere. Monet’s portrayal of the city, veiled in mist and fog, offered an entirely new way of seeing London—an "unreal city," as poet T.S. Eliot would later describe it.

Monet's focus was less about the landmarks themselves and more about the elusive interplay between light and the environment. His works, such as The Houses of Parliament, Shaft of Sunlight in the Fog, dissolve the solid structures of the city into vaporous illusions, making viewers question the very nature of what they are seeing.

The Making of a Masterpiece

Monet’s obsession with London's fog was central to his creative process. From the terrace of St. Thomas’s Hospital and his rooms at the Savoy Hotel, he painstakingly studied how the sunlight interacted with the ever-changing fog and smog along the Thames. Each canvas was a blend of light, mist, and shadow, capturing fleeting moments in time and space.

The artist’s frustration when faced with a fogless morning reveals his deep connection to this atmospheric element. In a letter to his wife, he once confessed his horror at waking to a clear sky, fearing that his canvases would be ruined. For Monet, London was not merely a city—it was a living, breathing entity whose true beauty could only be revealed through its foggy veil.

Monet’s Legacy and London’s Transformation

Monet's depictions of London were more than mere artistic experiments; they were transformative. His misty, atmospheric views of the city offered a new lens through which the world came to view London. As American art critic Desmond FitzGerald once noted, Monet’s fog-laden paintings seem "half-finished" at first, but gradually reveal their intricate details as the viewer's eye adjusts. These works challenged the traditional perception of London’s solidity, replacing it with a shimmering, almost dreamlike quality.

Oscar Wilde, writing around the same time Monet first set up his easel in London, remarked that people began to see fogs because poets and painters taught them to appreciate their mysterious beauty. Monet's paintings captured the essence of London in ways that had never been seen before, blending reality and illusion into a mesmerizing mirage.

An Exhibition of a Lifetime

The exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery provides a rare opportunity to see more than a third of the works Monet created during his London visits. The collection showcases the artist's genius for capturing the interplay of light, smoke, and mist, and his ability to transform a bustling, industrial city into a series of ethereal landscapes. This convergence of masterpieces will not only transport viewers back to turn-of-the-century London but also demonstrate how Monet’s artistic experiments changed the way we perceive cities and nature.

Conclusion

Monet’s London series is a testament to his innovative spirit and his ability to see beyond the visible. His pioneering work with light and atmosphere reshaped not just the artistic world but also how we understand the places we inhabit. Monet and London: Views of the Thames is more than an exhibition—it’s a window into a world transformed by the genius of one man, and it offers a rare chance to experience the luminous beauty that Monet found hidden in the fog.

The exhibition runs at the Courtauld Gallery, London, until January 19, 2025.

[theunabashedepicurean]

A Bar At The Folies-Bergère, Édouard Manet, 1882. After viewing @andhetravels stories this last week, showing their visit to @courtauld , it reminded me of my recent whistle-stop trip to London to see my favourites galleries and exhibitions. On my blog today I have published my London diary, describing my capital excursion. Link in story/bio. ___________________________________________ #edouardmanet #abaratthefoliesbergere #thecourtauld #courtauldgallery #courtauld #art #artwork #artist #artgallery #exhibition #artmuseum #museum #galleries #exhibitions #artexhibition #postimpressionism #postimpressionist #artcollector #artcuration #london #somersethouse #strand #frenchpainter #frenchartist #modernist #modernistart #frenchmodernist #19thcentury #19thcenturyart #culture (at The Courtauld) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNTE0GIj2h/?utm_medium=tumblr

[flyse]

Solomon Receiving the Queen of Sheba, Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp), 1620

Oil on panel

[songritart]

#songrit Q London 2013#troso #theidolmaster #keesvandongen #courtauldgallery #art #artistsoninstagram #artist #likesforlikes #followforfollow #photograph #photoshoot #photoart #photoartist #lovephotography #travel #traveltheworld #traveling #london_city_photo #london🇬🇧 #england (ที่ The Courtauld Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCFb91Sj7su/?igshid=4hyrf5i2fz9c

[poliwait]

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1882. Édouard Manet. Courtauld Gallery, London. . . . #favouritepainting #edouardmanet #manet #courtauldgallery #masterpiece #obramaestra #capolavoro #chefdoeuvre #foliesbergere (at The Courtauld Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAWklv4Al1h/?igshid=7qk9nzdzwjd3

[sandysnote]

. #芸術の秋 #美術館めぐり 。#コートールド美術館展 @ #東京都美術館 は数々多数の印象派作品はもちろん展示も工夫がしてあって大満喫。もう一度週末に娘と来る予定。#courtauldgallery #tokyometropolitanartmuseum #tokyoart #museumlover #tokyo (東京都美術館　Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4PtJXDpNF5/?igshid=1ddb9tlqhyc10

[lamski]

An extremely busy staff talk this morning ahead of #SoutinesPortraits exhibition opening on Thursday @courtauld! . It's a first significant exhibition in the UK to explore this remarkable series of portraits including works that have never been on public display! . #soutine #CourtauldGallery #1920s #artsmovement #bohemianparis #somersethouse #londonisopen  #courtauld #photooftheday #chaimsoutine #gbbo #pastrycooks #waiter #bellboy #valet #chefs #redcolour #whiteuniform #postimpressionism (at The Courtauld Gallery)

[heart-istic-blog1]

Impressionismo

Impressione, levar del sole, Monet, 1872, Musee Marmottan Monet a Parigi.

Prove di balletto in scena, Degas, 1874, Museo d’Orsay Parigi.

La culla, Morisot, 1872, Museo d’Orsay Parigi.

Il palco, Renoir, 1874, Courtauld Gallery Londra.

La casa dell’impiccato, Cezanne, 1873, Museo d’Orsay Parigi.

Omaggio a Delacroix, La Tour, 1864, Museo d’Orsay Parigi, ritratto lui stesso con Baudelarie e Manet.

[jdtortil]

Cézanne @FondationCourtauld exhibition FLV #fondationlouisvuitton #impressionnisme #paulcezanne #courtauldgallery #weloveart (à Fondation Louis Vuitton) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuRVud3B42M/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18aed7vs8zhgk

[hellomatthieu]

Here I am admiring Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863) at @courtauld. This is a smaller, earlier version of one held in the @museeorsay in Paris. Always a pleasure to see either of them, and the Courtauld has always been one of my favourite galleries in London- the home of so many great masterpieces! 😍 . . . #Courtauld #CourtauldGallery #SomersetHouse #London #England #Manet #EdouardManet #DejeunerSurLHerbe #art #gallery #painting #Impressionism #Impressionist #instaart #culture #selfie #me #gay #instagay #instadaily (à The Courtauld Gallery)

[inabigdanceskin]

Van Gogh. Self-Portraits, The Courtauld Gallery, London. Saturday, 19 February 2022.

[standarddesigns]

A great Soutine (they pretty much always are) in the @courtauld collection. #chaimsoutine #painting #art #artist #expressionist #portrait #london #gallery #courtauld #courtauldgallery #soutine (at Somerset House)

[quddbs77]

웹서핑을 하다 우연히 발견하고는 예전의 감동과 기억이 되살아나 한동안 계속 쳐다보고 있었던, 마네의 마지막 작품. . 그 당시 어떤 어린 꼬마아이가 그림을 보고는 여종업원의 얼굴이 슬퍼보인다고 했던 것이 떠올랐다. . #일상 #일상스타그램 #데일리 #데일리스타그램 #그림 #그림스타그램 #마네 #에두아르마네 #폴리베르제르의술집 #런던 #코톨드갤러리 #눈빛 #표정 #추억 #daily #instadaily #instaart #abaratthefoliesbergere #edouardmanet #london #courtauldgallery

[flyse]

Death of Achilles, Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp), 1630-1635

Oil on panel

[itstwads]

Whilst in a room full of impressionist wonders, a glimpse outside, through the Seurat-spotted curtain blinds, of skaters twirling about on a winter's Sunday afternoon. #London #skate #courtauldgallery #somersethouse #impressionism (at The Courtauld Gallery)