Monet

This volume is replete with good reproductions of Monet's work. The largest are the vertical paintings due to the vertical format of the book. My one criticism is that the book should have been published in a horizontal format thus allowing for larger reproduction of his horizontal work (which is by far the majority). However, given the plethora of poorly reproduced books on Monet this book will be a welcome addition to any art lovers library. I also enjoyed the many extreme close-ups of paintings which help make the book similar to the gallery experience.

This book is a really good book in familiarizing the reader with Claude Monet. It shows more than 120 of his most famous paintings in color and descibes them. Several are shown in detail, also. This is not an in depth book about his life however, but it does give you a sense and an appreciation of who he was. Paintings from the earliest stage of his career to his last famous waterlilies are shown. The majority are given a page, or sometimes 2 pages. The only disappointment is that only 3 waterlilies are shown. (6 if one includes the pictures with the Japanese bridge.) But that shouldn't deter you from this book, since there are many books about Monet's waterlilies in print. (I recommand MONET IN THE 20TH CENTURY or MONET'S YEARS AT GIVERNY. Either will make a fine complement to this book.) The author writes both about Monet's life, and how it affected his paintings, and the paintings themselves. It is not "deep" but that is because this the type of book that doesn't permit that kind of introspection by the author. However, you will be able to have some sense of Monet's contradictions and complexities by the end of the book. It is a really lovely book that shouldn't be missed out on.

This book tells in detail about life and art of Claude Monet, it uncovers also his very interesting personality. The story of Monet's life becames really truthful when you read quotations from his letters to his friends. Illustrations are selected perfectly, you can find canvases from 1861 to 1919. The colors of pictures in this book are very close to the colors of original paintings (as I could see in The Art Institute of Chicago). "Monet : Impressions of Light" - is for soul and for mind of readers.