#londonpainter

[davidcarpenterart]

Sloane Square, London. 2023

Painted en plein air. Oil on linen.

Instagram @DavidCarpenterArt

[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.

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[businessid-uk]

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[gtrsolutions]

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[websevense-blog]

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[alanreed]

London Eye 28” x 20” Many of the elements this painting of the London Eye which I love to paint all seem to come together in this watercolour: architecture, skies and sunlight being reflected in water. It’s also available as a limited edition print. The original watercolour can be seen at our Gallery in Ponteland. #londoneye #londonlife #londonskyline #londonpainting #watercolourpainting #architecturalpainting #cityscapepainting (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7L2xLItFD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[adamu-akkusu]

Battersea Power Station round II - This time interior ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ Day out with the awesome Urban Sketchers of London. Out and about like every month haha. This time a revisit of a location we've been to previously, but now the construction works have been completed and it's opened up to the public. I picked slightly too complex subjects for my format, so felt the time run out a little too soon. Colours still needed some work. But it's done and the "instax" shot of the moment has been captured. Time to leave these be the way they turned out. @derwentartofficial water brushes @winsorandnewton watercolour postcards amd gouache . . . . . #urbansketcherslondon #urbansketching #gouache #gouachepainting #portrait #batterseapowerstation #smallformat #watercolourpaper #battersea #londonpainting #architecturelondon #paintingoflondon #buildingpainting #londonbatterseapowerstation (at Battersea Power Station) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0ermbquQl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bynatashajoseph]

Racing past Monday blues with pastel hues 🍭✨ . . . . . #chelsealondon #bywaterstreet #londonlife #londonpainting #illustration #fashionillustration #fashionillustrator #illustrator #vogue #voguemagazine #art #fashionart #paris #london #milan #nyc #preppystyle #parisianstyle #parisienne #preppyfashion #fashionillustrated #fashioneditorial #floralpainting #mixedmediapainting #trafficcreativemanagement #fashionillustrationoftheday #fashionillust #fashionsketch #fashionillustrationgallery https://www.instagram.com/p/CnMxPqCMQZB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[davidcarpenterart]

Christmas at Tiffany.

Oil on board.

[mikegreenillustration]

Just about finished this view from the top of primrose hill on a cool autumn morning. Thought I’d annotate it with some of the things you can spot. You can also see the London zoo as well. Swipe to see without annotations. . . . #primrosehill #londonviews #lovelondon #topofprimrosehill #primrosehillview #topoflondon #autumninlondon #winterinlondon #londonlife #londonparks #londonoutdoorart #Illustrationartists #londonpainter (at Primrose Hill) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKO-Rn5j_bh/?igshid=1imrzw5k03l44

[studio-jmp-blog]

#abstractlandscape available in December. #painting #artist #abstractart #artistsoninstagram #contemporaryart #art #buyart #gallery #londonpainter #digitalart #photoart #availablesoon @joshmpaul https://www.instagram.com/p/BqV4r3ghnz8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ggvckok9wtte

[theworkshopn4]

P R E P. T I M E The preparation for this new painting is finished so now I can start to paint it today!! Super excited for this one. Do you wanna guess what colour I’ll be painting it? I’ll be showing the finished painting @theotherartfair in March 17-20th You can grab 50% off entry to the fair using this code OTHERS50 #preptime #artprep #newart #theotherartfairldn #ingrained #ingrainedthoughts #thoughtsandbeliefs #behaviour #birchplywood #grain #woodgrain #newcollection #newbodyofwork #naturalmaterials #abstractpainter #londonpainter #abstractart #abstractartist #pigments #naturalpigments #naturalwatercolours #newworks #handmadepigment (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ1gAzfsHZu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahtuefee]

This was a recent commission I did for my sister. It's a combination of two of my older paintings that she really loved but had already sold. I had never really tried to recreate one of my own paintings before let alone do a mashup of two. It turned out to be a really fun and interesting challenge and maybe something I'll do more of - revisiting old themes and imagery with new eyes 👁️👁️ . . . #fantasylandscape #landscapepainting #hotairballoonart #moonart #mountainlandscape #londonpainter #ukartist (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwJZ_kItjd/?utm_medium=tumblr

[edenbecklnaomi]

If we say art: I say paint 🎨 my art name @darkocolorsinmyheart if we say model: Suicide Girl If we say actress we’ll give me time till I finish with my school 🤔 If we say dance : I’m Beginner Belly Dancer #💃 💡👍🎁🌍💓 #art #artist #painter #londonpainter #artgallery #model #internationalmodel #hungarygirl #hungarymodel #londonmodel #actress #actressstudent #student #newyear #newyearalmosthere #🙏 #❤️ #🎨 #💡 #💍 #🧠 #🎓 #🌎 (helyszín: London, United Kingdom)