Monet Destroying His Own Work
Today we’re not talking about a crime, strictly speaking, more that it’s always sad when artists decide to destroy their work, regardless of the reason. Let’s look into Monet’s reasons.
Jumping Right In
We don’t really need a preamble this time. I think everyone knows (at least a little) who Claude Monet is. In 1890, after a few years of renting Monet bought his house in Giverny, a village in Normandy, France. After he bought the house he started construction on his beloved garden with the help of six gardeners. Everything was planted and crafted to Monet’s exact specifications. He constructed new ponds and bridges in the Japanese style.
This did have an impact on his neighbours, especially when he rerouted a local river to go through his garden and fill his new pond. This was annoying enough but the town also learned that Monet planned to plant exotic lilies in his ponds and they were concerned this would poison their drinking water. They tried to fine Monet but they were unsuccessful and the artist was able to create his now-famous water lily ponds.
With the creation of this garden, Monet was able to regularly paint outdoors, en plein air. One of his favourite subjects quickly become his water lilies. Monet valued his gardens so much and he was becoming more and more of a perfectionist with each passing year. He was finding that he wasn’t able to do justice to his beloved surroundings the way he wanted and this frustrated him.
“In 1908, a 68-year-old Monet wrote to a friend: “These landscapes of water and reflections have become an obsession. It is beyond my powers as an old man, and yet I want to arrive at rendering what I feel…[I] hope that after so many efforts, something will come out” (McNearney, 2017). It’s strange to think about this because typically people find Monet’s paintings calming and relaxing, almost therapeutic, but Monet himself felt differently. “He would rip [his paintings] to shreds or even put his foot through them if he was unhappy with his work. He once threw his easel and paintbox into the river in a fit of temper” (McNearney, 2017).
In one particularly bad incident, in 1907, Monet was forced to postpone an exhibition in Paris for a year when he had a frustrated outburst that destroyed a number of his paintings that were supposed to be exhibited. As 1908 rolled around things weren’t looking too promising despite the year-long extension. “On April 12, 1908, Monet’s second wife Alice wrote to a friend, ‘Today Monet is so very frustrating; he has just told me that he would definitely refuse to have the exhibition. He punctures canvases every day, it is truly distressing. One day, things are not too bad; the next day all is lost’” (McNearney, 2017).
Sadly, the very next month Alice’s words came to fruition. In one incident in May 1908 Monet attacked and destroyed at least 15 major water lily canvasses with a paintbrush and a knife. This was so bad that it made the news with one reporter stating that the disaster was worth $100,000 (or about $2 million today). The show had to be postponed for another year and finally, in 1909 the water lily paintings made an appearance in Paris.
“Monet’s anguish was caused more than anything by his attempt to do something entirely new and different, indeed revolutionary” (McNearney, 2017). This anguish, frustration, and perfectionistic tendencies are what caused him to destroy some, of what I’m sure were, masterpieces. This just makes me more grateful for the ones we do have left.
Works Cited
McNearney, Allison. “When Claude Monet Slashed and Destroyed his own Paintings”. Daily Beast. 2017. https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-claude-monet-slashed-and-destroyed-his-own-paintings