Meadow with Poplars 1875

Claude Monet created this landscape with oil on canvas. The materials are classic, but look closely, and you'll see how Monet deployed them. Notice the rough, almost hurried quality of the brushwork, applied as strokes and dabs of pure pigment. This isn't about smooth illusionism. Instead, Monet emphasizes the materiality of paint itself. It’s almost as if he’s inviting us to consider the sheer labor involved in covering the canvas, stroke by stroke. Consider the cultural context. Monet was painting at a time when industrialization was transforming the French countryside. His choice to depict a rural scene may be seen as a deliberate turn away from the modern world. The application of paint in layers, a deliberate act of applying medium to surface, challenges us to see the beauty in the everyday, and to reflect on the relationship between artistic labor and the changing landscape.