A new exhibition at the Courtauld Institute, titled “Monet and London: Views of the Thames,” explores how Claude Monet’s groundbreaking depictions of the Thames transformed London’s self-perception.
Monet, a pioneering French Impressionist, made three visits to London between 1899 and 1901, producing nearly 100 paintings—more than any other subject throughout his career. His works, shrouded in the city’s infamous smog, reimagined London as an “unreal city,” a term later coined by T.S. Eliot, capturing an ethereal quality that transcends time and space.
One of the standout pieces, “London, The Houses of Parliament, Shaft of Sunlight in the Fog,” exemplifies Monet’s exploration of light. The painting reveals the Palace of Westminster’s turrets shimmering in a late-afternoon glow, partially veiled by fog. During his second visit in 1901, Monet painted from a terrace at St Thomas’s Hospital, focusing on the shifting moods of the Houses of Parliament. His earlier works, created from his Savoy Hotel balcony, showcased the transformative effects of dawn light on Waterloo and Charing Cross Bridges, reflecting Monet’s deepening understanding of light’s essence in relation to his subject.
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