Claude Monet- The Lens of Impressionism

Hotel des Roches

DeCarlo Coleman

I attended The Lens of Impressionism show at the Dallas Museum of Art in downtown Dallas. This show featured work from Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Edgar Degas. Hotel des Roches Noires, Trouville is a painting done by Claude Monet in 1870. I chose this painting because from far away it seems to be very detailed, but the closer the view that is not the case. Claude Monet paints the figures in a way that forms them to work well together. The shading on the side of the hotel has a great deal to do with the tone and appearance. It was amazing to me that an artist would be able to create such an affect using oil paints. The lines used in this painting creates a sense of depth along the left side of the painting with the sun appearing to be coming from the right hand side of the oil painting. The people used in this painting strengthens the depth by the different size and placement of them by Claude Monet, he also makes sure their posture matches that of the flag poles to unify the composition. Most of the individuals toward the foregrounds are standing up straight which shows the balance on each side.



The space in Hotel des Roches seems to be a controlled interpretation with visual attempts to be balanced by showing a close up of the flag on the left side versus the hotel on the right side. The hotel on the right seems to over power the flag poles on the left, which is why I believe Claude Monet showed distance in the hotel and emphasis on the flag. Looking at the clouds in the sky identifies a natural source of light which is the sun. The sun as a light source highlights the shade difference mainly on the hotel. The shade against the wall differs with the shade in the corners of the building. This is to show physical shape, and formation. The colors used are cool colors that when brought together create a calm environment for the setting. I like that the color red is also used in the painting yet it is not over done and doesn't raise the level of intensity. Although this painting is not symmetrical it is very well balanced. The colors all complement one another along with the cast shadow of the hotel, which serves as an anchor thoughout the piece. The number of clouds also increases in the background to strengthen the idea of distance in the painting. The position from which the scene is painted normally would focus on the white tent in the middle as a focal point but the flag definitely takes over as it competes with the hotel presence. For this painting to be oil it has a three dimensional affect shown through the details in the architecture of the hotel. This is what I like most about this painting, the fact that blurry brush strokes were able to represent a form of natural depth and structure.