Paintings of poppy fields by Claude Monet

The Paintings of Claude Monet's Poppy Fields. Claude Monet, the most famous Impressionist and the 'godfather' of this new direction in painting, is known for repeatedly returning to the same landscapes. These include his beloved lakes with water lilies and poppy fields (the paintings we will discuss in this article). It is simply impossible for a true artist to pass by a blooming meadow and not pick up a brush! Monet painted them multiple times, with his works dating back to 1872, 1874, 1885, and 1890. Their titles often make reference to the beautiful colors. Many museums around the world take pride in displaying the best paintings by C. Monet.

The artist's first 'Poppies' were created in 1872-1873 and were showcased at an exhibition in 1874. It was an exhibition of artists who embraced a new style of painting and worked 'en plein air,' or in the open air. The first exhibition did not leave viewers or critics indifferent, as the feedback varied greatly. It was during this exhibition that the name for the entire movement was coined - part of the title of one of Claude Monet's paintings, 'Impression, Sunrise.' Impression, or 'impressio,' became the central theme of this artistic movement, which encompassed not only painting but also sculpture, music, and literature. The first, most vivid representation of trembling nature, captured from multiple perspectives in a single moment, as a snapshot of vibrant life when the air seems to tremble and is infused with sounds and aromas, became the essence of Impressionism.

The studied artist often painted series of paintings. He has cycles of 250 images of water lilies called 'Nymphéas,' as well as 'Haystacks' and 'Poplars.' His paintings of poppies feature vibrant and colorful meadows with dynamic and moving patches of flowers always in the foreground, swaying like clouds and trees in the paintings. The people in the artwork seem to blend seamlessly with the landscape, just like the greenery, hills, and sky. They simply dissolve and merge into the grass, flowers, and air. The painting 'Poppy Field' can be found both in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Both artworks depict the same location in Giverny. The composition of both paintings is similar with horizontal bands, and the colors are alike, but the weather conditions influenced the lighting. One of the landscapes turned out to be different, brighter after the departure of clouds, and more serene. Both paintings shine, the colors are pure and beautiful: the strip of sky is light blue, almost white. The strip of hills ranges from blue to dark purple. The strip of trees and bushes varies from light green to dark emerald. In the foreground, there is a vibrant orange-red carpet of a flowery meadow, sprinkled with shades of green, shimmering in dozens of hues, with small touches of white and blue. It is the flowers that capture attention first, and then the trees, bushes, and hills come into view. Monet's poppies evoke a desire not to gather them into a bouquet, but to touch them, lie down amidst them, breathe the air of summer warmth while turning one's face towards the sun. Such is the impression they create.

A fragmented collection is a problem for the artist’s fans. In 1909, Paul Durand-Ruel gathered a vast number of paintings depicting water flowers in his gallery. Among them were 48 paintings of water lilies by Claude Monet. It would be wonderful to see all the paintings of Monet's poppies in one place, starting from 'Poppy Field' and ending with portraits against the backdrop of these flowers. Such an exhibition should not go unnoticed.

Do you like Monet's paintings?