No other artist, apart from J. M. W. Turner, tried as hard as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light itself on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, it was the man Cézanne called “only an eye, but my God what an eye!” who stayed true to the principle of absolute fidelity to the visual sensation, painting directly from the object.
It could be said that Monet reinvented the possibilities of color. Whether it was through his early interest in Japanese prints, his time as a conscript in the dazzling light of Algeria, or his personal acquaintance with the major painters of the late 19th century, the work Monet produced throughout his long life would change forever the way we perceive both the natural world and its attendant phenomena. The high point of his explorations was the late series of water lilies, painted in his own garden at Giverny, which, in their approach toward almost total formlessness, are really the origin of abstract art.
This biography does full justice to this most remarkable and profoundly influential artist, and offers numerous reproductions and archive photos alongside a detailed and insightful commentary.
About the series
Bibliotheca Universalis ― Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe!
Dany –
I really wanted an affordable coffee table book, and this one is gorgeous but its on the smaller size , perfect to be on top of a bigger one.
Monica –
A capa é branca, o que aparece decorado por cima é apenas uma capa removível, mas o livro é perfeito, imagens lindas e vale dizer que o livro é em Inglês, mas ainda sim, impecável.
Pedro Henrique –
Arrived very quickly
However, it looked like it could be secondhand.
Gabriela –
Excellent book and I don’t find the print too small. Though the book is small I don’t find it a problem. Good colour pictures and images. The first copy I got had some damage but Amazon replaced it promptly with a quality product. Kudos
Monica –
El pequeño, por lo tanto la letra también lo es. La portada es blanca, y tiene sobrepuesta la cubreportada impresa, aún así es muy bonito y de buen calidad. Buena compra
C. Priem –
Excellent art.
Noel –
I bought this book to cut out some of the art and place them in little frames. Literally so adorable!
B –
It’s a small book but every time I open it, it fills me with peace. It’s truly beautiful.
Laura –
I just attended a Monet Art show which inspired me to purchase this book. This book is gorgeous and a nice size. Excellent price as well as it was priced nearly double at the show itself. I am so happy to have found this on Amazon.
LJC –
Someone mentioned that the book can be displayed on the coffee table. This led me to believe that the book is large and so the pictures would also be a good size. No. The book is the size of an average paperback. Having said all that, Monet is my favorite artist and the price was awesome. I would buy it again.
Amazon Customer –
Looks amazing on my center table, ans the images oferece monet paintaings have great quality.
Carol M. –
Beautiful – I thought it was a normal to large sized book, but it is the size of your hand. I wasn’t expecting that. It is a high quality item though. Very pretty.