#33 The Magpie by Claude Oscar Monet
The painting The Magpie portrays a simple, everyday theme. As a modern artist, Monet went against Classic standards imposed by the Academy – one of these standards refers to subjects and considered landscapes and trivial subjects as being unworthy. Because of this, many artists turned to other influences other than the Greek culture; mainly Japanese woodcut prints. Artists found the beauty in representing nature as they saw it, and not by idealizing it. The Japanese culture brought an idea of stillness that went against the turbulence and machinery of modern times.
The color palette is simple and mostly white, varying in tonalities from gray-blue and violet in the shadows, along with yellow and pink in the highlights in a very subtle way. The composition is simple, resembling many other landscapes produced at the time. The forefront depicts an area of snow and a shadow cast on it by the snow-coved dark brown fence. The thin, crooked gate brings the viewer’s attention to it, especially because of the blackbird portrayed resting upon it.
Some large trees were painted in the background, with dark brown trunks and snowy tops. Behind them, Monet depicted a large house on the right corner of the canvas. On the opposite side, the trees follow into the far distance, as far as the viewer can see. The horizontal lines of the clouds in the sky represent a calm atmosphere. This painting characterizes the silence of nature after a snowstorm.
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