“Le Grenouillere,” 1869, Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926), oil on canvas, 29 3/8 x 39 1/4 in., H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, http://www.metmuseum.org
For Baby…
Monet’s painting, “Le Grenouillere,” truly tells a story. Baby will enjoy looking at the water and the trees but will also be interested in the people gallivanting about. This scene reminds me of The Boathouse in Central Park. Of course we are talking about a different time and place, but there is a similarity in that peaceful feeling of people gathering together on a calm body of water. Tell baby a story to go with this painting. Maybe it’s about the boys jumping in the water off the dock or maybe it’s about the boats floating away.
For Mommy…
Yesterday’s post about glittering water reminded me of another painting from my childhood. My mother had a small postcard copy of a boating scene that I remembered exactly as the painting shown above. I was always fascinated by the way the water almost seemed to have an oil-like quality. I guess it was from my own memories of hanging over the side of my father’s boat, running my hand through the black water. I had always thought the painting was by another French artist, Auguste Renoir. Of course, once I came across Monet’s work, I convinced myself otherwise. After a bit of research, however, I found Renoir’s painting shown below. I guess I wasn’t going crazy!! It’s amazing how these two artists must have had such a profound influence on one another, studying the same technique using the same view of the same scene. It must have been only natural that they compared their work. I feel we are often tempted to draw parallels in our own lives. But, as my grandmother once said, “You can never compare two lives.” Our lives are woven with so many different, complex layers, that it is really impossible to compare them. How can we strive to celebrate the values and commonalities that tie us together at the same time as learning from and appreciating our differences?
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French 1841-1919). La Grenouillère, 1869. Oil on canvas. 26 1/8 x 32 7/8 in. (66.5 x 81 cm). NM 2425. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. © The National Art Museums of Sweden, http://www.nationalmuseum.se
The Sharp Mama 