The Manneporte – Claude Monet

Sydney Cannuscio

Professor Lapiner

Museum Journal

November 23rd, 2015

The Manneporte – Claude Monet

During my visit to the MET, several different artists and their pieces of artwork grabbed my attention. My encounter with Claude Monet’s collection really intrigued me. I enjoyed Monet’s entire assortment of works because all of his pieces had a similar ambiance and feel to them. With each piece I had a different emotional reaction to them. My favorite piece was the The Manneporte (Etretat) because of the way I felt when I was observing it. The Manneporte is a scenic painting of a beach with a natural arch sitting out into the sea and the first thing I sensed when I saw the painting was calm and relaxed. I think this happened because Monet painted in a carefree and subtle way. The cool calmness I felt came specifically from the way Monet’s brush stroked the canvas. Each stroke had its own individual purpose for the outcome of the bigger picture. Monet pointed the thick brush strokes in specific directions to create a sensory of motion. While I was standing in front of the painting, I felt like I was in the exact spot he was standing when he painted it. I even felt like I could hear the ocean swaying back and forth from the soft strokes depicted of the sea. I felt like the soft tones and color scheme Monet chose for this piece was the reason there’s this semblance of tranquility. I really enjoyed his artwork specifically from the 1880s because they are painted in a different, more dynamic manner than his earlier works. I was able to see how he’s changed as an artist through the comparison of his earliest works to latest. I liked this because I felt like I connected with him as a person. As an artist, its art and beauty within itself to see an artist change and grow through their work. I think this is why Monet’s collection stood out to me right away. Throughout his series, I didn’t feel like I was just looking at a painting on the wall. I felt like I understood what he was feeling or the emotions he had during that time. For this painting, I felt like he was both happy and calm and I could tell because of the choices he made for this vision to come to life. Even though the painting is based off of a real area in Etretrat, the painting intuits a sense of abstraction. It felt abstract to me because of the way each stroke flowed into one another and became one. I think that this comes from the focus Monet had on detail of which way each stroke intertwines and the colors used. The way the colors come together also formulate a depth in the picture, which made it feel like I was standing in the painting. I believe to successfully make something that’s realistic feel abstract is symbolic because it allows everyone to see the art differently. I think this is what makes Monet’s artwork so interesting because it affects each person in a different way.

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