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| "The Cliff, Etreat: Sunset" (c) Claude Monet, 1883 |
The Impressionist movement in painting was all about capturing a moment in time--nailing down the fleeting effects of sun and light at a particular place and time. In fact, recording something real and immediate was at the heart of Impressionism. It was the reason that so many Impressionists left the studio to paint directly in the landscape, and the reason they worked so quickly to capture conditions before they changed.
Now, in breaking news, a team of scientists have just announced that they have successfully pinpointed the exact moment depicted by the great Impressionist Claude Monet in the painting that you see above. The verdict: 4:53 pm, on February 5, 1883.
The scientists' sleuthing involved travel to Normandy, and use of both high tech and low tech resources--a sextant (shown above), a laser rangefinder, letters written by Monet, records of tides, and weather information, to name a few. You can read the full story in Sky & Telescope Magazine (February 2014 edition). Meanwhile, here's a photo from the magazine showing how the scientists used other Monet paintings of the same shore to find the spots that Monet must have stood to paint his series. What inspiring vistas!
Now, in breaking news, a team of scientists have just announced that they have successfully pinpointed the exact moment depicted by the great Impressionist Claude Monet in the painting that you see above. The verdict: 4:53 pm, on February 5, 1883.
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| (c) Sky & Telescope Magazine |
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| (c) Sky & Telescope Magazine |
PS: For those of you in NC, the top painting is in the collection of the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh...worth a detour to take a look.
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