When reading this research point, I was glad that I would be able to research Monet’s work, as I have always admired his work and the lightness that he conveys in his paintings. Monet’s technique of application with a dabbing and flicks of strokes, combined with his pastel colours creates a dreamlike vision of spring love and happiness. With the inclusion of the beauty of nature and clear skies, Monet already produces spring like scenes and a promise of hope, but with the delicate and gentle strokes of paint, he creates blurred images without clear detail, that gives a general impression of a pretty figure in a pretty surrounding, or simply a still and calm landscape on a summer’s day with bright pops of colours. Monet’s work appeals to me I think, as it represents a feminine twist on nature, and perhaps the inclusion of women and girls conveys his love for a female presence and how in the right woman’s company, life can seem much better, which therefore links to his pastel colours and soft brushstrokes.
In contrast, Pissarro conveys a much more muted scene and allows the subjects of the paintings stand out more than the colours. With the little dabbing and stippling of the paint, Pissarro is able to create more detail which therefore creates a firmer view of his subjects, and lets the detail tell the story to the viewer. With the application of paint in this particular way, Pissarro is able to tell a story with a clear direction, and is also to produce accurate and blended highlights and shadows. However, as his marks are much more concentrated and precise, Pissarro does not achieve a pretty atmosphere and with his choice of muted colours and style he is able to create accurate scenes without any particular mood.
In great contrast, Odilon Redon’s ‘Baronne de Domecy’ and Leon Dabo’s ‘Flowers in a Green Vase’ convey a much more sharp, clean and detailed painting with the use of pastel. These two artists are able to transition colours and shades in a much smoother way showing a great control of the medium and also a knowledge of both form, volume, and in Redon’s case, anatomy. Redon is able to convey his knowledge of the human head with precision rather than giving the viewer an impression of a portrait, and against the bright vibrant marks of the pastel allows the figure to have a presence and a individuality in the composition. In Dabo’s case, he is able to create a gentle still life with flowers and to convey the delicacy and frailty of the subject. With the ability to smudge and manipulate the pastel, Dabo is able to create form, tone and volume in the flowers which produces a 3D form and brings the subject out into the foreground, with the simple background matching the flowers and yet spotlighting the flowers with the lighter tones of the background focusing on the middle of the composition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Pissarro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Dabo
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/224761/odilon-redon-baronne-de-domecy-french-about-1900/
SOPHIE FAWCETT'S OCA LEARNING LOG 