San Giorgio Maggiore

San Giorgio Maggiore: Claude Monet

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Claude Monet Oil Painting - San Giorgio Maggiore

Work Overview: San Giorgio Maggiore
Claude Monet
Date: 1908
Style: Impressionism
Genre: cityscape

Monet painted the church of San Giorgio Maggiore in six lighting conditions. With this varied approach, the paintings focused on the ‘nature of experience.’ He was particularly impressed by the Venetian sunsets, “these splendid sunsets which are unique in the world.” He had previously been inspired by other sunsets, such as those of Normandy (in Rouen Cathedral and Haystacks, his series of the 1890s) and London (Houses of Parliament).

This photo separates the campanile and dome of San Giorgio Maggiore, as it is taken from nearer the Grand Canal than the place(s) where Monet's dusk paintings were observed. However, it offers a similar view-point to one of Monet's daytime San Giorgio paintings.

Monet and his wife Alice stayed at the Palazzo Barbaro for a couple of weeks, and then moved to the Hotel Britannia, where they stayed until December.[5] According to Mme. Monet, the Britannia had a view, "if such a thing were possible, even more beautiful than that of Palazzo Barbaro..." Monet painted looking out from this hotel, but not, it seems, in the case of this particular painting. Although the view from the hotel included the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the painting appears to have been viewed from the waterfront known as the Riva degli Schiavoni, where the island forms a focal point of the view.

Monet was reportedly reluctant to paint from the waterfront out of fear of conforming to other artists who were drawn to Venice, such as Renoir or Manet.[6] San Giorgio Maggiore was a favorite subject for painters, including the proto-Impressionist Turner.

Monet felt Venice was a city "too beautiful to be painted",[9] which may be why he returned with many paintings unfinished to Giverny, his home in France.[4] However, he had already retreated from his earlier practice of painting from life, in front of the subject. He worked on the Venetian scenes at home and the death of his wife Alice in 1911 seems to have been a factor in their completion. In 1912 he held a successful exhibition Claude Monet Venise at the gallery Bernheim-Jeune in Paris.

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Claude Monet

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