Monet London Fog Analysis

The artistic movement known as impressionism sought to capture events and scenes in order to convey their essence not through exact reproduction but rather through color and light. The goal was not only to reproduce the scene itself but to also reproduce the sensation and life of the scene. The impressionist style with its free and unplanned brushstrokes, bright and vivid colors, and innocent subjects soon became synonymous with modern life and art. Various individuals within the movement would capture in snapshots different aspects of everyday scenes and people, with themes ranging from industrialization to nature and the rural lifestyle. It is clear that for several Impressionists the goal was not to comment on anything in the scene but simply …show more content…
Monet only painted three subjects and each from the same place, but every painting is unique in its vibrant and vivid depiction of the fog. Monet was interested in capturing these fogs and their various colors exactly as they were. Quoted to an interviewer in 1901 Monet states: “The fog in London assumes all sorts of colors; there are black, brown, yellow, green, and purple fogs, and the interest in painting is to get the objects as seen through all these fogs”1. Monet commits to paint exactly what he sees. In the paintings containing the Houses of Parliament there are a wide array of colors and textures used. There are sunrises and sunsets that reflect off the water in brilliant displays of peach and magenta. In others the fog is so thick one can barely see the gloomy silhouettes of the clock tower and surrounding steeples through the gray-blue haze. Some paintings have birds flying off into the distance and some have boats slowly meandering up and down the Thames bathed in morning light. In every painting Monet masterfully recreates the effect of the light and color on the water adding to the aura of mysticism and awe that already envelope the