 |
The Thames Below Westminster
The Thames Below Westminster1871, Oil on Canvas The Thames Below Westminster was painted when Monet spent the period of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune (1870-71) in London where he met up with Pissaro. Like James Whistler, who was working in London at the same time, he found the River Thames a continually fascinating subject. Although they did not work together, and there is no evidence that they made contact at this time, both Monet and Whistler were concerned with the decorative harmonies that could be achieved in their paintings, deriving much inspiration from their knowledge of Japanese prints. While Pissarro painted the suburban delights of south London, Monet chose to work among the great sights of Britain's capital. Even London fog became an inspiration. In this painting, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge have become insubstantial silhouettes in yellow fog, looming up behind the more definite forms of the jetty and figures in the foreground. "I did an impression of it", Monet wrote to his friend Alice Hoschede, "which I don't think is bad". Monet's mastery of depicting water through the use of long brush-strokes is displayed as ably in this foggy river scene as in his brilliant summer subjects such as those painted at Argenteuil. The contrast with his later painting of a similar view, The Houses of Parliament, emphasizes his subsequent departure from this 'pure Impressionist' period.
Own An Original Re-Creation
|
Hand-painted in oils by a professional artist
