Monet

The Restless Vision

by Jackie Wullschläger

#Monet #NetGalley

I first learned about this book from a review in the Times of London. My interest was piqued so I was completely delighted when NetGalley offered me access to this title. Having recently seen the exhibit Paris 1874 at DC’s National Gallery has left me thinking even more about Monet and the ways in which his work (that we now take for granted) was revolutionary and extraordinary.

This book offers a deep dive. It is long at over 900 pages so may not be for the casual art lover. However, for those who are interested, this is a rich and detailed work. Readers will learn about Monet both as the artist and the man. There is much primary source material that brings readers up close to Monet’s life.

Highly recommended to those interested in this period of French art. They, like me will enjoy learning about the art, the women who influenced Monet and the many artistic talents with whom he was in contact.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor as well as NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 24 September 2024

Review

WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY AND THE FRANCO BRITISH SOCIETY AWARD

“Lively… Provocative… To the wider world, Monet was a placid voluptuary, not a tormented rebel. By excavating the artist’s unexpectedly messy inner life, Wullschläger… sets out to upend this view… Artful.”
―Hugh Eakin, The New York Times

“Jackie Wullschläger’s Monet: The Restless Vision… could be called an Impressionist biography of the central Impressionist… Every few chapters, a sudden nub of detail robs you of your breath… Monet may be the first artist biography I’ve encountered in which this kind of thing isn’t just readable but sexy.”
―Jackson Arn, The New Yorker

“Sumptuous… a portrait of anartist mercurial and materialist, ambitious and conceited, yet unstintingly loyal to all in his orbit… Wullschläger avoids attempting an exhaustive account; why weigh down her book with gratuitous details? She prefers to delight.”
―Hamilton Cain, LA Times

“A writer of radiant energy and exhilarating insights, Wullschläger matches each phase in Monet’s long, ardent, precarious, and momentously creative and productive life with the evolution of his radically in-the-moment paintings. Her biography, like his work, profoundly alters our perceptions, revealing how, from portraits to seascapes to water lilies, Monet painted out of love and endless fascination with what it feels like to be alive.”
―Booklist, starred

“Wullschläger… bring[s] to life a man whose creative genius was inseparable from his flawed humanity. Even readers well-versed in Monet’s life story will learn something new from this thorough and original reappraisal.”
―Publishers Weekly