I won tickets through ABB to the ‘Monet in Normandy’ exhibit that made it to Raleigh, so the whole family made an adventure of it. More than 40 public and private collections were pooled together for this amazing show.
Impressionism is almost too charming to be taken seriously. It doesn’t seem like it makes enough of an artistic “statement”. But Monet’s work is stunning. Stand a foot and a half away from the paintings and you will see the meat of art, up close: gobs of paint, repetitive strokes of every shape, every conceivable color mashup. It’s like a siren call to get dirty, pick up a brush and see what you can sling. Every stroke is simple and colorful and powerful. The closest analogy is a child’s fingerpainting, raw and true.
Step back a few feet to be humbly brought back to the realization that Monet was genius. Incredible reflections, beautiful play of light, and scenes of great detail. Every single one of the raw swipes of paint that you saw up close contributes to the whole. This is art.
The artwork in the exhibit is framed behind glass, lighted so you really can’t tell, and then displayed behind a stripe on the ground that is less than two feet from the actual paintings. You are instructed to keep feet and hands behind this stripe, but it really is close enough to get in and see every detail. The experience of interacting in this way with the actual paintings was thrilling, and recommended if you get the chance.
