Camille Monet on a Garden Bench, 1873
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City
(click image to enlarge)
Monet's art depends on obersation of his environment, and to that extent it is always autobiographical. In his pictures, one can chart the seasons,the weather, or as here, the look of women's fashion in 1873. Monet's wife, Camille Doncieux, is as easily recognizable as are the mounds of geraniums in the garden of the couple's rented house in Argenteuil.
Camille Monet on a Garden Bench is the most enigmatic of Monet's rare genre pictures. Numerous interpretations have been offered, yet nothing has been found in the literature or theater of Monet' time
that corresponds to this scene. The most teling clue may be biographical:the death of Camille's father in September 1873. Camille was an impassive model, but here she telegraphs sadness, while holding a note in
her goved hand. Later, Monet identified the gentlman as a neighbor--perhaps one who had called to offer his condolences and a consoling bouquet.
Camille Monet on a Garden Bench is the most enigmatic of Monet's rare genre pictures. Numerous interpretations have been offered, yet nothing has been found in the literature or theater of Monet' time
that corresponds to this scene. The most teling clue may be biographical:the death of Camille's father in September 1873. Camille was an impassive model, but here she telegraphs sadness, while holding a note in
her goved hand. Later, Monet identified the gentlman as a neighbor--perhaps one who had called to offer his condolences and a consoling bouquet.
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