Claude Monet’s works are some of the most immediately identifiable of art history. They have transcended the private collections and elite galleries originally intended for and now wheedle their way into household after household via tea trays, towels, umbrellas and the ubiquitous tote bag.
This is a classy, stylish show as befits the legacy of one of the most enduring artists of all time
But beyond the intricate daubs which conjure bridges and haystacks, suns and snow lies the story of a man whose own private life was as messy as an artist’s palette, and whose climb to recognition as fragile as the ephemeral beauty of a water lily.
Written by Joan Greening and brought to life by Stephen Smith, A Montage of Monet is part dramatic biography, part art lecture. A niche premise perhaps, but one which, for the right audiences, is a delicious conceit. Born in Normandy in 1840, Monet‘s journey to international byword was not without its struggles. The obligatory impecuniosity, unfortunate romantic entanglements, loyal friendships and disapproving family all put in an appearance as we follow Monet from idealistic and arrogant student to grand master of the artistic movement his own painting – Impression Soleil Levant – unwittingly christened.
Greening’s script is written with admirable economy, steering away from potential sentimentality and squeezing healthy dollops of humour throughout: thus preventing the piece from becoming overly smooth and one-dimensional. Smith's Monet is himself something of an impressionistic characterisation: offering the audience a part realistic, part blurred iteration of the man which invites personal interpretation of some of his more oblique emotional utterances.
It matters little if one is unfamiliar with the particular genre or characters of this progressive art movement, as Monet's skilful storytelling offers us piquant thumbnail sketches of some of his famed friends. And, in an artistic touch which lifts the piece beyond mere talking head status, the visuals of Monet's key works, collaborators and contemporaries bring a direct insight into the beauty he strove to replicate on canvas.
This is a classy, stylish show as befits the legacy of one of the most enduring artists of all time: a man who, as the show itself reflects, prioritised art for its own sake above all else.
