Impression: Sunrise by Claude Monet

Claude Monet’s Impression: Sunrise is a painting that captures the very essence of a foggy morning at the harbor at Le Havre. This work of art is a great example of impressionism because Monet became the leader of this style of art by using color as the main factor to represent what he saw before him. Despite critics, this work of art powerfully conveys a very moment in time, which gives off a vivacious feeling. Monet’s work of art uses color, value, and texture to capture essence of the world waking in a vivacious manor. 

In Monet’s Impression: Sunrise he uses two main colors to construct his composition. Blue tones are found through out the entire image with sudden lively splashes of orange. At first glance one will notice there are many small strokes of different colors, which give the scene a very playful and merry feeling as the colors more around and transition within the painting. The painting is mainly blue with soft blends of pinks and oranges, which really gives off a feeling of warmth as the sun finally rises steadily over the soft hills in the background. The water seems to move within the painting because of the use contrasting colors within the bottom and middle of the scene. This technique gives a sort of jolly attitude to the rippling water. It almost seems excited by the sun finally reaching down and lettings its rays hit the top of the water. Overall the use of two colors really adds to the vivacious feel of this painting. The simplicity of the color is what makes this image very strong.

Another component in this painting, which emphasizes vivaciousness is the use of value. It is the different values within this painting really strengthen this feeling.  The contrasts between different light and dark values makes this painting seems very lively. This is because the contrasts create movement within this scene, which is very suiting because it is a seascape. The use of value also allows one to see depth within this painting. There are two boats located within the middle ground of this painting, yet they are much closer to the viewer because they are a the darkest form on the painting and not yet within the warmth of the waking morning, which conjures a feeling of excitement in anticipation of the suns warmth. In the horizon ships rest. The ships almost blend in with the hills behind them, yet it is clear that they rest in the water because of the soft lightening of value around the bottom of the vessels. The sky to the left is very lit up by the sun and the masts of the ships stretch upward. On the right side the ships seem to be cast in fog, which is emphasized thought the really slight change in value around the ship. One can identify shy amounts of pinks and oranges, which begin to light of the sky. And at the very top most section of the painting its as if the clouds have taken on the color of the sun in celebration of the approaching day. The use of soft tones of orange against the blue really gives a feeling of excitement and liveliness, which leads to an overall feeling of vivaciousness within this painting.

Finally the use of texture is a huge contributing factor to the feeling of this painting. Monet paints with daubs and strokes of varying weight and thickness, which adds a really awesome textural element to his paintings. The water in Monet’s Impression: Sunset below the surface is comprised of large soft strokes of paint giving the water a very soft and subdued feel. However laid on top of that are more firm and smaller strokes of darker paint, which literally gives the impression of ripples on the water as it softly dances around. The brush strokes used to create the boats were also more firmly applied strokes with a lot of paint. The texture created by this gives a three-dimensionality to the ships. This separates the ships even more from the background and makes a stronger relationship between the ships and the sea because their shadows, which dance on the water, lack this quality. The texture really adds to the feeling of vivaciousness and excitement because it every different stroke of the paintbrush really gives off an element of movement within the scene.

Overall Impression: Sunrise by Claude Monet embodies a feeling of vivaciousness. This feeling is conveyed by a combination of visual elements. Monet’s painting shows movement and a liveliness through the use of color and many varying values of that color. This painting also is extremely strengthened through the style in which Monet paints, which is very textured. I feel had it lacked just one of these elements the impression given off would have been weakened.