Monet, Claude (1840-1926)
L’église San Giorgio Maggiore, Venise (The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice)
1908
Oil on canvas, 64.7 cm × 92 cm
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
In his series of paintings devoted to the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Monet subordinated the architectural details in order to emphasize the light and color reflected on the surfaces of the building. The gondolas gliding across the Grand Canal are the only breaks in the dense web of pastel colors that defines the water.
It is surprising that Monet, a painter devoted to the reflection of water and light, did not visit Venice until he was nearly 70 years old. He completed this canvas and his other Venetian scenes while working in his studio in France during the next few years. (IMA)