The Magpi

CLAUDE MONET (1840—1926) The Magpie. 1869, panel, oil, 89 X 130
Claude Oscar Monet is one of the founders of Impressionism. He consistently embodied the principles of working en plein air. Monet painted pictures from nature from start to finish, captivated by the task of conveying color in natural, changing light. “The Magpie” is one of Monet’s first significant works painted in the new painting technique. With a scatter of color strokes, arbitrarily thrown onto the canvas—sometimes small, almost dot-like, sometimes large, softly spreading, or, conversely, densely placed side by side—Monet captures the richness of color shades born of bright cold winter light. Forms dissolve in color. He creates a sense of purity and transparency of frosty air, the shining blue of snow, against which a single living creature stands out as a dark spot in the midst of this desolation—the magpie. Presented at the Salon of 1869, this painting—one of Monet’s most subtle works in mood—was rejected by the academic jury.