Chrysanthemums 1878

Claude Monet painted Chrysanthemums with oil on canvas. It's a still life, but look how it challenges the conventions of academic painting in 19th century France. Monet was not interested in the highly detailed, polished style of the French Salon. Instead, he focused on capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Notice the loose brushstrokes and the vibrant colors. These give the painting an immediacy that was quite radical for its time. The Impressionists, including Monet, were actively rejecting the traditional art institutions. They formed their own independent exhibitions, creating a new market and a new audience for their work. To fully understand Monet, one might delve into the history of the French Academy, the rise of Impressionism as a challenge to its authority, and the changing social and economic conditions that allowed artists to break free from traditional patronage. The history of art is always a story of social change, and a study of its institutions.