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| Beautiful drive up the Cabrillo Highway... |
Last weekend, I was able to travel up to San Francisco to meet a friend, in order to see a show featuring Monet's later works. It was amazing. It became a bookend to the show at the Legion of Honor a couple of years ago where Monet's early works were on display.
The show of early work, clearly demonstrated Monet's move towards abstraction. This show was the fruition of all of his experimentation with light, water, and reflection. It was interesting to note how far away from the giant paintings viewers stood. Up close, raw canvas was visible. There was a lot of texture. There were "mistakes" painted over. There were drawing lines, with thick paint. When viewed from a distance, the works appeared less abstract, more realistic. Viewers kept standing back. They wanted to see the giant lily pads, and garden flowers. I liked seeing the sketchy blobs, dashes, and unblended color.
Monet figured it out. Maybe it was the sadness at the passing of his wife, and his oldest son. Maybe it was his near blindness, and his eye surgery. But, these abstract works showed the progression from tight to loose. Very loose.
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