1. Outline the intentions of each artist.
Claude Monet was founder of The French Impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practioner of the movement’s philosophy of expressing ones perceptions before nature.
Chuck Close has studied the human head in both painting and photography; he has transformed our understanding of portraiture and carved out a unique space in contemporary art. The ’scanning experience’ he describes has always been facilitated by Close’s uses of the grid, which allows the artist to make a leid of geographical survey of the face.
2. Describe the techniques of each artist
Impressionist’s painters have a specific way of using colours. As most impressionists, Monet uses his own palette to paint shadows and rarely uses black. Monet obtained an appearance of black by combing serveral colours: blues, greens and reds.
At the beginning of his career, monet used dark colours, as he did in the ‘studio corner’ marked by black shades. From 1860 on, monet abandoned dark colours and worked from a palette limited to pure light colours.
Close's work is made by a grid brought to the foreground, creating a cadenced space of 2.5inch cells. These cells are made by abstract and biomorphic shapes, from gooey lozenges and lopsided bubbles to more geometric rods and circles. The shapes often traverse across two or three cells, or conjoin in L-shapes.
3. Find 2 quotes about each artists work, and reference them correctly.
“As for the colours I use, whats so interesting about that? I don’t think one could paint better or more brightly with another palette. The most important thing is to know how to use the colours. Their choice is a matter of habbit. In short, I use white lead, cadmium yellow, vermillion, madder, cobalt blue, chrome green. That’s all.”
The Colors of Monet. (2006) Retrieved 30 May 2011 from www.intermonet.com/colours/
“No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition."
Claude Monet Quotes . (2001) Retrieved 30 May 2011 from www.brainyquotes.com/author/c/claude-monet.html
“I was trying to rip it loose of the context in which we normally saw portraits and normally saw people, and try to make it a scanning experience, and experience of stumbling through this landscape.”
Chuck Close: Family and Others. (2007) Retrieved 30 may 2011 www.whitecube.com/exhibitons/close/paintings-i/
“Artists…see both the device that make the illusion and the illusion itself. Im as interested in the distribution of marks on a flat surface..as I am with the thing that ultimately gets depicted..[its] shifting from one to the other that really interests me.”
Chuck Close. (2000-2001) Retrieved 30 May 2011 from
http://www.worcesterart.org/Exhibitions/Past/close.html
4. Note 3 similarities of the work of both artists.
The colours are very bold and also soft.
The brush strokes used are very similar, almost like a circular motion.
The texture gives life and emotion to the paintings.
5. What are some differences between the artist's work. (at least 3)
Monets work is a lot more realistic and softer than Close’s
Close uses a very unique method of painting to show the image. He has done each square individually and uses many different colours in each.
Chuck Close focussing more on people and detail of their face where as Claude Monet is nature and reflection.
6. Describe your response to the work of both artists.
Chuck Closes work is very fascinating, I like the way he looks at detail and shows it in a different way. It is very stimulating in the way he paints. Also, the scale he uses for his image is massive.
Claude Monet on the other hand has amazing brush strokes in his work. It is so light and soft but very detailed. The colours he uses and the blending of different colours is very unique.
www.intermonet.com/colors/
www.brainyquotes.com/authors/c/claude-monet.html
www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/close/paintings-i/
www.intermonet.com/colors/
www.brainyquotes.com/authors/c/claude-monet.html
www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/close/paintings-i/
