Nymphéas: American Abstract Painting and the last Monet

Having studied Abstract Expressionism during my second year of university and visiting the fabulous Abstract Expressionist exhibition at the RA in 2016, I was delighted to be able to see paintings by the likes of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and William De Kooning from a different perspective aligned with Monet’s Water Lilies.

The Parisians, in all their splendour, exhibited the abstract expressionist’s art work in relation to, and by drawing inspiration from Monet’s Water Lilies. The exhibition explored behaviour, nature, pictorial space and landscape in an unusual but fascinating manner.

Monet’s Water Lilies greeted visitors at the entrance of the exhibition with their soft blue hues and naturalistic charm as the central focus of the exhibition. The painting selected to open the exhibition was Blue Lilies 1916-1919. The Impressionist painting adorned with intense blue water which gives the illusion of depth and implies the reflection of the pond’s surrounding reeds, was completed 7 years prior to Monet’s death.

Blue Lilies, 1916-1919, Claude Monet

Having moved into the house in Giverny in 1883 where the garden Monet continually painted was situated, Monet was very well acquainted with the water lily covered pond by 1916 when this painting was created. Monet constructed a studio prior to moving in within the garden where he could create his master pieces.

As an impressionist artist Monet explored new themes, materials, colours, applications of material and relationships to the canvas. Often appearing partially incomplete and rushed, the Impressionist’s art was far from what had previously been perceived as perfect or academic. The artists were on a quest to depict a more lifelike representation of their subject. This may seem contradictory as their work doesn’t often appear to present a perfect representation of the subject, however the Impressionists were concerned with colour, lighting, shading and getting their work on the canvas more so than the finer details previous artists had been so concerned with.

The relationship between the Impressionists and the Abstract Expressionists is not necessarily obvious however much of the Abstract Impressionist’s work was influenced by Monet’s Water Lilies. New York City during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s saw the shift towards artistic abstraction as many artists became concerned with distortion of shapes, spontaneity, un-primed incomplete canvases and the idea of the real. These concepts drew unprecedented parallels to the Impressionist, in particular the work of Monet a few decades before they were active.

As the USA was in the midst of the Cold War, had recently been through the Great Depression and was now seeing the rise of a new middle class, the artists wanted to depict the understanding of the ‘new world’ through different forms and representations.

"Painting isn’t representation of reality the painting is reality" Musée De L'Orangerie

Jackson Pollock, a high-profile artist during the late 40’s and early 50’s, was known for his extreme level of expressionism and new approach to art. Following a commission in 1944 by Peggy Guggenheim to create a canvas (Mural) for her New York City townhouse, Pollock began creating incredibly abstract pieces for the city’s elite.

Although Pollock’s artwork is often perceived for its ‘simplicity’ and abstract appearance in a negative light, is one of my favourite artists. Many people dismiss the depth of his artwork and concentrate purely on the aesthetic. The exploration of the backbone to Pollock’s work is what really drives its importance and brings the canvas to life. Using a range of physical large-scale techniques, Pollock thought about work in practise as a more physical activity. He would often using large canvases and sticks which required movement in order to create a piece of art.

Untitled, 1949, Jackson Pollock

A favoured technique by Pollock was drip painting , where he would use a large stick as mentioned to drip a long undisturbed line of paint across the canvas. This expresses movement. The fluidity of the paint on the canvas register a moment in time marked by both the thrill of space exploration and the threat of global atomic destruction (MOMA, Jackson Pollock). Pollock abandoned all figurative aspects in 1947 taking a purely abstract approach towards art.

The Deep, 1953, Jackson Pollock

Pollock’s dynamic technique draws parallels to Monet’s work. The exhibition explains how the physicality of Monet’s later Water Lilies convey the extremely allusive tangled calligraphy. This reflects the dynamism of Monet’s hand, similarly to the active application of paint onto the canvas using Pollock’s drip technique.

Pollock would experiment with his canvas similarly to the Impressionist leaving bare patches, but also developing an ‘all over’ technique. The paint would cover the entire canvas, running off the edges. The exhibition suggested how this term may also be applied to Monet’s later Water Lilies.

Untitled, Jackson Pollock and Le Pont japonais, Monet

The abstract elements are prominent within Pollock’s work particularly, but what about the Expressionism? As the artist’s work invites you to look, contemplate and reflect for a long time – the idea of expression comes in. Pollock’s Untitled 1949 drip painting expresses the movements and mind of the artist. As Pollock had to move extensively to create the dripping aesthetic the canvas expresses his progress and the motions he went through to create the painting. The paintings spontaneity unleashes the artist’s thoughts and emotions.

According to an American gentleman visiting the exhibition, as Monet reached the latter part of his life the strokes within his paintings became larger. Monet underwent a number of operations during his lifetime in attempt to correct his cataracts. Despite these operations Monet’s sight worsened leading him to depict much of his later work from memory. It is because of his depiction from memory and loss of sight rather than ‘En plen air’ (an Impressionist term for painting outside in front of the subject) that his strokes are magnified compared to his earlier depictions of the water lilies which I have included for reference. The magnification of strokes can again be compared to Pollock’s work. Pollock’s canvases were large and used long never-ending drip lines similar to Monet’s larger paint strokes.

Le Pont japonais, 1918, Claude Monet

In 1955 one of Monet’s Water Lily panels made its way across the Atlantic and onto the walls of MOMA. This inspired many of the working artists at the time. Elain de Kooning, an active artist during the late 40’s and 50’s, established the Abstract Expressionist title in an article for the Art News and her essay 'Subject: What, How or Who?' both written in 1955.

"As the Impressionists attempted to deal with the optical effects of nature, they [American Abstract Impressionists] are interested in the optical effects of spiritual states, thereby giving an old style to a new subject". Elaine De Kooning, 1955

Blue and Gray, 1916-1919, Mark Rothko

The influence of Monet’s Water Lilies following their arrival in MOMA can be seen within Mark Rothko’s work. Rothko’s canvases which explore flat form, perspective and illusion, are reminiscent of Monet’s Water Lillie’s space. Rothko explored the application of coloured layers onto an already coloured canvas similarly to the build-up of blues, greens and pinks in Monet’s Water Lilies.

“His coloured rectangles seemed to dematerialise into pure light….” William S Rubin, Former Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at MOMA

Villa Bourghese, 1960, William de Kooning

The Impressionists and Abstract Expressionists were concerned by the theme of nature. William De Kooning took inspiration from nature creating abstract landscapes. His work saw a shift away from urban downtown New York’s cityscape, and towards parkway landscapes. De Kooning’s parkways landscapes were characterised by large sweeping motions and a neutral pallet. The exhibition conveys how De Kooning’s Villa Borghese adopts a more naturalistic vision of landscape which has very clear affinities with Monet’s last panels.

Villa Bourghese, William de Kooning and Saule Pleureur e bassin oux nymphéas, Claude Monet

The informative exhibition was a delightful comparison between New York City and Paris’ renowned artists of the 20th century. Although I tend to favour the Abstract Expressionists work over the Impressionists as it conveys the city and the current affairs of the 1950’s in an abstract form, it was interesting to see how these artists sought inspiration from a nature painter (Monet). The exploration of experimentation is what links these artists so closely. Their curiosity of what art can do, how materials can be applied, the illusion of depth and the canvas itself created a unique artistic format. The comparative exhibition delved into the minds of some of the world’s greatest and most curious artists, placing abstract masterpieces side by side.

Nymphéas is on display at the Musée De L'Orangerie located in the Jardin Des Tuileries from 13th April 2018 to 20th August 2018. Admissions are free for those under 18, or for students with valid ID and passport between age 18 and 25.