Monet and Manet

Claide Monet’s The Rue Montorgueil  and Edouard Manet’s  The Rue Mosnier with Flags  are both paintings that portray the French festival of 1878. The both of are streets, and have flags, yet they are vastly different in many other aspects. 

The street each of the paintings has is what I notice is the first difference, although they are both looking at a long stretch of street, they fill it much differently. Monet’s painted the street completely full of people. You can feel the movement of the people bustling about. They are very blurred with loose brush strokes that really draw out the feeling of their movement. Manet’s painting has almost a completely clear street. You can see a man walking with one leg and crutches, and few very unclear people to the side, and a few small carts. Other then that, there is an empty street.

Another difference is the flags each painter put into their paintings, Monet’s piece has many, many flags coming off of the buildings on either side of the street. They are densely colored and blurred as it there is a strong wind blowing. But the flags really blur out many of the buildings because there are so many. On the other hand Manet’s painting has much fewer flags. They are on the sides of buildings as well, but they seem to be a much lighter pigment, and they do not blur as much of the buildings. But they too are blurred like there was a strong wind blowing.

Monet’s painting has some dark shades with a mix of browns and off whites. And the red, white and blue flags. Manet’s painting have a much more pastel look to them. He used a lot of blues and off whites with touches of darker colors and greens. I feel it has an overall feel of a much lighter painting than Monet’s painting with the large amount of movement all throughout the painting.

Both these artist are seeing the same festival, yet they are showing it in two different ways. Monet is really showing the celebration aspect of the festival. I see not sign of suffering or any sign of war, whereas Manet really looks at some of the political aspects of the celebration. What I found to stand out the most was the war vet. He is missing a leg, walking alone while many other people around the city are celebrating. Manet really shows some of the affects war actually had on people, and adds alittle big of reality in the painting.

Overall, I really like both of these paintings! I find them both interesting in their own way. Monet I really like for the busyness, movement, and very loose brush stokes, and I really like Manet’s painting because of the unique feeling, and truth that seems to radiate from it. I think both of these painting show different perspectives on the emotions and thoughts about the war and the losses and victories.