Clematis 1897

Claude Monet painted these Clematis flowers using oil on canvas, materials that were commercially available and increasingly popular amongst artists during his time. The impact of this work comes less from the materials themselves, and more from Monet's process. Look at the brushwork, those separate touches of pigment. He wasn't trying to give you an illusionistic window onto the world, but instead wanted you to be aware of the material substance of paint itself. In this way, Monet can be seen as part of a shift in artistic practice that began during the Industrial Revolution. As mechanical means of production took over so many aspects of life, artists doubled down on the handmade and on unique vision. Monet spent hours carefully observing the effects of light on these flowers, working to capture his fleeting sensory impressions with each individual stroke. The beauty here is tied directly to that intensive labor. It is a testament to the value of something made not by machine, but by the focused attention of a skilled artist.