Vision is an important sense, and is even more vital for artists who rely on it for their livelihood. One such artist that suffered from visual impairments was Claude Monet. In 1912, he was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts (Marmor & Ravin 1997, p. 170). Cataracts cloud several aspects of vision like form and color, and can affect the development of artistic style (Goldstein 2007, p. 553). To test such a link with the scientific method would require an experiment within groups of participating artists with simulated ocular deficiencies.
To better understand how Monet saw, it is important to explore this impairment. Cataracts are the clouding of the lens, and Goldstein (2007) describes one type, senile cataracts, that appear with old age (p. 553). Monet had not reported problems with his vision until he was 72 years old, making senile cataracts likely. Richard Liebreich, M.D., discovered that “as the lens thickens, it develops yellowish discoloration which prevents some colors from reaching the retina” (Marmor & Ravin 1997, p. 171). Aligning with this description, Monet wrote that “[r]eds appeared muddy to [him], pinks insipid, and the intermediate or lower tones escaped [him]” (Marmor & Ravin 1997, p. 172). What Monet describes and experiences fits the expected of someone with cataracts.
According to Marmor & Ravin (1997), Liebrich also found that the lens thickens with age, scattering light (p. 171). This could cause his artistic style, where impressionism shows essential forms rather than …show more content…
His artistic style was most likely influenced by his visual impairments, and according to his firsthand accounts, largely about color rather than form. There is no way to truly know the extent to which Monet’s works were impacted by his ocular deficiencies, but one can formulate an experiment to monitor the direct effect of clouded vision on artistic
To better understand how Monet saw, it is important to explore this impairment. Cataracts are the clouding of the lens, and Goldstein (2007) describes one type, senile cataracts, that appear with old age (p. 553). Monet had not reported problems with his vision until he was 72 years old, making senile cataracts likely. Richard Liebreich, M.D., discovered that “as the lens thickens, it develops yellowish discoloration which prevents some colors from reaching the retina” (Marmor & Ravin 1997, p. 171). Aligning with this description, Monet wrote that “[r]eds appeared muddy to [him], pinks insipid, and the intermediate or lower tones escaped [him]” (Marmor & Ravin 1997, p. 172). What Monet describes and experiences fits the expected of someone with cataracts.
According to Marmor & Ravin (1997), Liebrich also found that the lens thickens with age, scattering light (p. 171). This could cause his artistic style, where impressionism shows essential forms rather than …show more content…
His artistic style was most likely influenced by his visual impairments, and according to his firsthand accounts, largely about color rather than form. There is no way to truly know the extent to which Monet’s works were impacted by his ocular deficiencies, but one can formulate an experiment to monitor the direct effect of clouded vision on artistic