I will be Considering two paintings that depict the French festival of June 30th, 1878. One being Claude Monet’s The Rue Montorgueil Festival, of 30th June 1878 and the other being Edouard Manet’s The Rue Mosnier with Flags. First of all Monet’s painting depicts a heavily crowded street the composition is so filled with people and three colored flags that the building and perspective end up taking a back seat to the movement and energy of the celebration. France was celebrating that it was now on its feet, the city was now rebuilt and returned to its former glory or at least that is what they wanted to celebrate. The Rue Montorgueil Festival of 30th June 1878 is a very energetic and celebratory composition; there are so many people that they are reduced to being depicted by only black lines. It features thick seemingly quick application of paint that helps capture the celebratory atmosphere. According to the challenge of the avant-garde “If anything can be said to represent a sense of unalloyed celebration, then it is surely this spectacle of dancing colours, wherein the painting almost becomes itself a tricolour waved by the artist as the crowd waves its flags.” The perspective of Monet’s painting also lends itself to this feeling of celebration the view hovers high above the people on the ground and the buildings continue much higher up into the sky and continue on as far as the eye can see, thus leaving the viewer in awe of the magnificence of France in 1878, believing that everything is now perfect.
In contrast to the celebration of Monet’s Painting is Edouard Manet’s The Rue Mosnier with Flags. This composition gives a different feeling entirely it depicts a much quieter street still with tricolour flags everywere, but instead of a massive crowd it shows a crippled veteran in workers clothing and other figures that seem to me much more somber in attitude perhaps escaping the craziness of other areas of the city. Manet was more associated with realism and it is easy to see the raw reality of the other side of this celebration. Manet was known for using a stark juxtaposition of colors specifically black and white and he does so in this composition outlining the veteran in black and the openness of the street in contrast with the figures and the street light and carriage. The politics of the situation are addressed more in this painting perhaps because Manet himself saw firsthand the devastation of this conflict. The view is lower to the ground and the subject matter is somber and real. This is how Manet is able to both aspects of avant-gardism being political both in aesthetic and radicalism. In the end both painting are in the style of impressionism and both have similar paint application and subject matter however these are two very different paintings that have two entirely different moods in the same city on the same exact day just like reality. A celebration of the end of something that Manet was not anxious to forget.
I agree that Monet's loose brushstrokes add to the chaos and celebratory feel. The loose brushstrokes seem to add a large amount of energy as well as create a sense of movement on the canvas. In comparison to Monet's painting Manet's work has a very sad quiet feel to it.
ReplyDeleteI also like the looseness and energetic feel of Monet's piece, but do agree that Manet's is more somber and real, emotionally. It is very interesting to see these two artists quite different depictions, even though their subject matter was the same. It is obvious that Manet is more interested in a more real influence.
ReplyDeleteThe more I view these two images the more I realize they were not painted on the same day I do believe Manet painted his during that time frame but he is depicting the street that the veteran came back to. Where Monet chose to paint the celebratory event. I think Manet depicts the sentiment of the people without the prompt of a parade and party. Obviously from the flags displayed there is some patriotism but it cannot rival what is whipped into a frenzy of patriots on the day Monet painted his version. I think it clearly shows how patriotism works even today. Its a very interesting political statement that would carry well into today's world.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that these paintings are very similar with there technique and both are examples of impressionism. I also agree that they are very different in some ways, the emotion that both these artist were trying to provoke with the viewer is completely different. Monet's piece shows one happy, exciting, brightly colored view of the city where Manet's piece shows what is really going on in the city with dark colors and somber feel. Comparing these two pieces side by side, you would never know that it was the same festival because of the different emotions that each artist was trying to have the audience feel. Overall I think both pieces are very interesting and really show how some artist were trying to show different sides of city during this crazy time.
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