Route de Monte-Carlo (1883)

Monet, Claude (1840-1926)

Route de Monte-Carlo (Monte Carlo Road)
1883
Oil on canvas, 65.7 x 80.6 cm
Private collection

Route de Monte Carlo represents the triumphant apex of Claude Monet’s seminal series of works produced as part of his excursion to the Mediterranean in 1883 and 1884, characterized as “some of the most powerful, resonant, and innovative paintings he had ever produced—work that went well beyond Impressionism” (Joachim Pissarro, Monet and the Mediterranean, New York, 1997, p. 19).

Monet had a lifelong commitment to painting en plein air as he explored how atmospheric conditions affect light and color. In December 1883, Monet was near completion of six large interior panels at the apartment of his dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, when he realized his extreme frustration with this project because he felt that his creativity was being stifled by the indoor surroundings. “I cannot wait until I am out of all this, it has been a century since I last worked outdoors” (quoted in Joachim Pissarro, Monet and the Mediterranean, New York, 1997, p. 27). He then impulsively departed to the Mediterranean with fellow Impressionist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir who assured him of the “wonderful things awaiting them there” (Paul Hayes Tucker, Claude Monet: Life and Art, New Haven, 1995, p. 118).

This trip proved to be immensely liberating for Monet, as the unfamiliar landscape of the Riviera offered the painter limitless inspirations that sparked new pictorial imagination. Upon arriving in the Mediterranean region, Monet was immediately “seized by a desire to respond to these new stimuli. Not only did this trip put an end to the ‘century-long’ imprisonment at Durand-Ruel’s but it also plunged him into an entirely alien world, rich with marvelously strange vegetation, exotic fragrances, and, of course, brilliant colors” (Pissarro, op. cit. p. 28).

Route de Monte Carlo was one of the first two works executed by Monet on the shores of Monte Carlo, capturing his first glimpse and fascination with the region. The other work would be Pres Monte Carlo, painted from a spot along the same route, but facing towards the sea rather than the mountains.

Route de Monte Carlo was created during the height of impressionism, manifesting Monet’s lifelong commitment to painting en plein air as he explored how atmospheric conditions affect light and colours. Monet captured the beauty of the exotic scenery with quick brushstrokes and an extensive colour palette, particularly that of a pastel tone, conveying the dazzling light under the midday sun in Côte d’Azur. The cohesiveness of the composition is assured through chromatic complementaries: the sun-drenched path to Monte Carlo contrasts with the purplish shadow cast on the sandy surface, while the sunlit townscape in the background contrasts with the shaded foliage in the foreground. Rendered with sumptuous impasto, the intensive interplay of colour heightens the dramatic effects in this otherwise idyllic vista.

Route de Monte Carlo is Monet’s first experimentation with the Mediterranean light and colours, setting precedents for a seminal group of canvases of the same subject in the following years. Shortly after this 1883 excursion with Renoir, Monet returned to the Riviera in early 1884, this time in solitude, to explore Bordighera, Monte Carlo and Menton in depth. Monet’s satisfaction with the present work is evident as he revisited the same composition, referencing some key elements in a series of works he executed during the 1884 sojourn. Most notably, Vue de Bordighera (Collection of Hammer MuseumLos Angeles) depicts the same townscape now nestled in a jumble of vegetation, while La Corniche près de Monaco (Collection of RijksmuseumAmsterdam) closely echoes with the present work for its sunlit sandy path that anchored a magnificent vantage point. By depicting similar compositions at varied times of day, from multiple angles, Monet here presages the sequential practice, such as Haystacks and the Rouen Cathedral, for which he is perhaps best known.

The present work is a superior example of the remarkable affinity between Monet’s ardent Impressionist ideals and the scintillating light of the Côte d’Azur. Catalyzing further artistic ventures in the region and beyond, the pictorial innovations present in Route de Monte Carlo testify to the invigorating changes and enduring impact of this Mediterranean excursion on Monet’s oeuvre. (Sotheby’s)

Compare:

Monet, Claude (1840-1926)
La Corniche près de Monaco
1884
RijksmuseumAmsterdam

 

 

Monet, Claude (1840-1926)
Vue de Bordighera
1884
Hammer MuseumLos Angeles

 

 

See also:

• Monaco