Time Travel again takes me back to a weekend getaway I planned around Claude Monet. No, not the man himself, but the legacy of his art and the breadth of an exhibit at London’s Royal Academy of Art back in March 1999:
I never wanted to weep at the sight of a painting until today and I never knew why Claude Monet was my favorite artist until today. Today is when it became clear to me. Each painting made my spine tingle as each brush stroke, smooth and effortless, broad and determined, gave me goosebumps. His paintings humble me. Our egos hold our modest creations with such high esteem, but oh, what a delusion! Monet’s work – now that was and still is true genius. Each brushstroke is animated with the air of the scene and the emotion of the moment. The fog over London’s Waterloo Bridge draws you in as the seagulls come alive. The wisteria over the lily pond dangles in sunlight. The weeping willows sway over the pond and you are there. Oh Lord, you are there.
To be in a room with three 18′ water lily paintings was sheer joy. I didn’t want to leave and neither did anyone else in the gallery. The giant canvases come alive at 10′ away but they appear as a brilliant wash of color at a hand’s touch. Amazing, truly amazing; there are no words. Postcards and prints do no do justice to Monet so why bother. This travel memory must live in the heart.
I found it strange, however, that while Monet is my favorite artist and wisteria my favorite flower, that was one painting I did not like. He made it look like giant party confetti. Ironically, he painted it just before his cataract surgery. Maybe that was it – the master couldn’t see so he couldn’t get the lighting and colors just right, the stickler that he was. He just couldn’t see. Ah, but those lilies, oh those lilies. Any subsequent jaunt through the Royal Academy of Art would be anti-climatic, so I’ll just saunter over to the Gallery Cafe for a nice glass of wine instead!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
