Humbaba and Shamhat meets Claude Monet - Impression, Sunrise (1872)
Description
This painting is entitled Impression, Sunrise which was painted by Monet in 1872. This painting is the most iconic painting of Monet himself, this painting made his name engraved in the golden ink of world art history. The painting Impression, Sunrise by Oscar-Claude Monet is considered the raison d'etre of the birth of the art school of "Impressionism." In this painting Monet depicts Le Havre Harbor which is his hometown, at that time Le Havre Harbor began to be crowded and economic activity in the port was very lively after the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870 - 1871).
Monet depicts fog, which provides a blurred background to the work set in a French port. The orange and yellow hues are a stark contrast to the dark vessel, where little, if any detail, is immediately apparent to the viewer. This is a striking and candid work that shows the small boats in the foreground almost being pushed by the movement of the water. This, again, is achieved with separate brush strokes that also show the various colors of the "shimmer" in the sea.
From 15 April to 15 May 1874 Monet exhibited his work together with Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, and about thirty other artists. They organize their own exhibition as it is usually turned down at the Paris Salon. Most visitors are disgusted and even angry at such graffiti. Of all the paintings displayed only by Monet - Impression, Sunrise enjoys the most attention and some visitors even claim that they cannot recognize what is displayed at all.
A critic who attended the exhibition, M. Louis Leroy, wrote a famous article in Le Charivari Magazine in which he used the term "Impressionist" to criticize the exhibition, the word "Impressionist" being taken from the title of Monet's painting. Despite the fact that Leroy had used the word derisively and critically, the group decided to adopt him and the painters who attended the exhibition such as Monet, Renoir and Degas were happily called Impressionists. Next they called themselves the "Impressionists" and a new art movement was born called "Impressionism."