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About The Artist
- Claude Monet (14 November 1840
- 5 December 1926) |
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Claude Monet, the
"Father of Impressionism" was a French
painter, a politician, and an unswerving
advocate of the Impressionist style
of art. |
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About
The Painting - Grainstacks (Haystacks)
at the End of the Summer |
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The
series of Haystack or Grainstack paintings
by Claude Monet are one of his most
famous impressionist works. He painted
this series in the backyard of his
home in rural Giverny. A study in
use of light and perfection in color
selection are hallmarks of these endearing
compositions. These stacks of grain
were painted after having been stacked
in the field post the harvest season. |
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Monet
painted a series of 26 paintings on
a singular theme from 1883 onwards
after settling down in Giverny. The
thematic use of repetition to express
differences in perception of the sunlight
across various seasons, weather and
assorted times of day make this series
Monet's most famous works. |
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While
out on a walk, he noticed these grainstacks.
Initially he asked his stepdaughter
Blanche Hoschede to get him two canvases,
one for the rainy, overcast weather
and another for bright summer. But
he soon realized that he would not
be able to express the many individual
impressions on just two canvases and
soon his stepdaughter was carting
as many canvases as a wheelbarrow
could hold. |
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The
first painting in the haystack series
was started towards the end of 1890.
But Monet continued to paint these
compositions for the next seven months.
On the sheer merit of painting such
a large number of images of a common
subject matter but differentiated
by time of the year, transience of
light, and perspective, Monet become
the first painter to do so. |
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The
Haystack series of paintings not only
brought money but popularity as well
for their master. Indeed Claude Monet
was a perfectionist in his drawings
and this series and the "water lilies"
series are great examples of this
attribute. |
