The effect of Light

Claude Monet, 1840-1926, Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare,

1877, Oil on canvas, 60.3 x 80.2 cm (23 3/4 x 31 1/2 in.)

This painting on the right is one of a series of paintings by Claude Monet called, ‘The Arrival of the Normandy Train’. He made a series of paintings portraying the St. Lazare railway station in different times of the day. This allowed him to study different color during different times of day, and changes of light effects reflecting on glass panes and the steam of the trains. This was a characteristic of the Impressionist movement.

In this study, there is a balance between calm, and confusion, where on the left side of the painting, there seems to be calmness, less sense of movement and a light load. On the other hand, the other side is more chaotic and has a lot of movement.

The people are all gathered to climb on the train and the train is getting ready to leave.

Claude Monet, 1875, La Promenade, Oil on canvas, 

Natoinal Gallery of Art,  Washington, D.C., 100 x 81cm

Another characteristic of the Impressionists was the way they left visible brushstrokes. Unlike anything the academies would have taught. That was a new approach at the time. This gave that feeling of an impression, a single moment. It’s what makes Impressionist paintings stand out. Another study that shows this technique is another of Monet’s work called ‘Le Promenade’. Here, Monet portray a moment, a simple stroll with his wife and son. His wife is holding a parasol, leaned a little to the left, which balances the whole composition of his wife. The sunlight is coming from behind her, leaving her front in shadow. As the light hits the bright flowers, it is reflected on her dress leaving shades of yellow. Also her gaze, that appears to be a quick look, gives it the impression of the fleeting moment of time, which Courbet was mostly after.

  

Camille Pissarro, 1897, Boulevard Montmartre (Night), oil on canvas, 74 x 92.8 cm

          As much as color is affected during daytime, during night the color range is a whole other palette. This is what Pissarro did during his stays in hotels and apartments, by painting from the windows. In 1897, he presented a series of paintings through a window of a street in Paris France, ‘Boulevard Montmartre’, during day and during night. These have the characteristics of Impressionism, with small, thick brushstrokes, and vibrant colors. Also the scatter of people going by, the carriages and during night, the street lamps which are lit. During the night, the darkness is destroyed by the warm, bright colors of shops and houses. This gives a visual balance to the viewer having a mixed palette and everything blends together, even the dark sky has shades of yellow. Also the trees opposite each other bring out a balance between nature and the busy life of humankind.

Camille Pissarro, 1897, Boulevard Montmartre (Morning), 

oil on canvas, 74 x 92.8 cm

Camille Pissarro, 1897, Boulevard Montmartre (Midday),

 oil on canvas, 74 x 92.8 cm

Camille Pissarro | The Boulevard Montmartre at Night | NG4119 | The National Gallery, London. 2014. Camille Pissarro | The Boulevard Montmartre at Night | NG4119 | The National Gallery, London. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/camille-pissarro-the-boulevard-montmartre-at-night. [Accessed 24 November 2014].

Interpretive Resource | The Art Institute of Chicago. 2014. Interpretive Resource | The Art Institute of Chicago. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.artic.edu/aic/resources/resource/70. [Accessed 24 November 2014].