On the Bank of the Siene, Bennecourt

Claude Monet’s “On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt” is an image depicted in vibrant color and sunlight. The bold use bright blue, white and yellow hues makes me recall warm spring days or summer mornings. I think that the use of light, sunlight in particular, makes this painting and all of Monet’s work more susceptible to being linked to memory or dreams. To me, the style in which the work is done and the vibrancy of the lighting effects that are used makes me feel as though I’m trying to remember a dream or a memory. The edges are fuzzy but there is just enough information to put together the full picture. The image itself must be taken in as a whole or one will quickly become confused as to what it is. One cannot look at a single brush stroke or object in this composition to get the full effect of the work.
            However, the eye does tend to drift towards the reflective surface of the water due to its composition of bright bold blocks of color. The “rippled” effect of the brush strokes tends to pull the eye back into the landscape giving one the sense of movement on the water. This movement is continuous, like water itself, and allows one to easily “travel” through the painting without the sense of clutter. I think it is important to note that Monet’s work is intended to be a snapshot of current time. This movement that is created in Monet’s technique helps us see even further into the moment Monet was attempting to, and has, successfully captured.

Monet’s work in general tends to make me feel something emotionally. The reflective surfaces he depicts and the sunlight used in all of his work generates a sense of calm. It’s easy to imagine the warmth of the sunrays and the smell of the water or the coolness of the shade beneath the trees in “On the Bank of the Seine”. I believe he achieves this effect not through detailed subject matter or “plot”, but rather by taking advantage of the ways in which our minds store memories. The brightness or darkness of something is easily linked to memory even when we cannot recall specific detail.  Typically, we remember how something made us feel. It is a powerful way in which we make sense of the world. In this way, Monet is able to create a full image that we can understand simply by tricking our brains with its pre-existing knowledge and memory of light and the way it reacts with objects in comes in contact with.

The lack of detail in this work is an aspect that makes it very calming. The mind is so easily distracted by detail. Here, Monet has simplified an every day moment allowing us to take another look and appreciate ordinary things we take for granted such as sunlight or the beauty of the light on water.

The use of color also gives the viewer a sense of calm. Blues and neutrals, both of which a dominate in this work, are found scientifically to have calming effects of people. Mixed with an accurate depiction of the memory of light and the reflection on water, these elements are very soothing. The weight of the lights and darks in this work also gives the feeling of sitting beneath a shaded tree grove. Although it can be concluded that the woman in the painting is indeed sitting under a group of trees, the light and darks used within the composition helps us feel and recall what it feels like to sit under the cool shade of a tree on a warm day as if we ourselves are in this moment. This element also helps to balance out the image itself, giving us a nearly equal balance of bright contrasts (the water and buildings in the distance) and dark contrasts (the darkly shaded group of trees).

Although I do not think it was Monet’s intention to capture the way we may recall a dream or a memory, the fact that he was trying to capture a moment fits in very well with this concept. He has indeed captured to feeling of a sunny day, the coolness of shade, the reflection of water and the sense of calm these three offer. It is as though he has effectively captured a memory, as we would recall it in our minds. He has projected dreams onto canvas.