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Introduction We have all had an encounter with art in one form or another in our lives, whether you are the creator of the art or simply just enjoying and experiencing the art

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Introduction

We have all had an encounter with art in one form or another in our lives, whether you are the creator of the art or simply just enjoying and experiencing the art. Of course, people enjoy and appreciate art in many different ways, whether it’s painting, music, plays/musicals, poetry, and dance as an art form or even graffiti. Whatever the case may be, art plays a vital role in understanding and viewing the world regardless of cultural, economic, and/or political background. I’ve always enjoyed all forms of art but never really had the gift to create it. Taking this Humanities class has allowed me to have a deeper understanding and more appreciation and love of the Arts. I took Claude Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise and used it as inspiration to create my painting which we will call sailing at dawn.

Inspiration

The painting I chose as inspiration was the Impression, Sunrise by French artist Claude Monet. The oil painting was made in 1873. The artwork can be found at the Musée Marmottan in Monet, Paris. The port of Le Havre was the scene that inspired Monet to paint the famous Impression, Sunrise which also happens to be Monet's hometown. The painting was shown at the first show of the impressionist painters in Paris in 1874, and it lent its name to the entire group (Martin, 2018).  Louis Leroy was a critic who attended the exhibition and wrote an article in which he used the term "Impressionist" based on the title of Monet's painting. The group decided to adopt the name and were happy to be called Impressionists hence the era of impressionist. It is clear to see that the style of the painting is unique for its time.

When you initially see the painting you feel a sense of calm in this art piece; maybe it is the soft color tones or the sun rising in the background. Most of the picture is made up of softer oranges, blues and greens that merge together as one while at the same time providing a contrasts to the dark little boats and the vivid orange sunrise which stands out. The brushwork is loose with minimal lines, it flows so beautifully. Had I not know that the port of Le Havre inspired this painting, I would have thought that the little boats were fleeing a shipwreck, and despite the mayhem, there was still beauty to be seen in that sun rise.

My Painting

Monet’s Painting was the inspiration for my painting. I titled my picture sailing at dawn. It also reminds me of all the boats I saw in the port of Cartagena when I visited Colombia a few years ago of course they were not as colorful.  My painting has an array of different colors mostly darker tones in the background resembling the dawn sky. I added a few shades of white in the background and yellow tones on the ocean to give the illusion of the refection of light from the moon and the stars. I also decided to make the boats a little larger to make it the main focus of the painting.  I am no Picasso but I thought I did pretty well blending some of the colors.  

Connection

When comparing my painting to Monet’s you can see a connection between the two. In both paintings the focal points are the dark boats, everything else is really just there to create a sense of context and atmosphere (Scott, 2019).

 

Martin, F. D. (2018). Humanities through the Arts. [Bookshelf Ambassadored]. Retrieved from https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260154238/

Scott, D. (2019, May 7). A Closer Look at Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet. Draw Paint Academy. https://drawpaintacademy.com/impression-sunrise/.