Monet in the 20th Century (Paperback)

Tucker demonstrates the patriotic ideal of La France, which for Monet and his public was the ur-subject of his entire oeuvre up to the end of the 19th century, from the crashing waves at Étretat to the shimmering facades of Chartres. Then came the Dreyfus affair, with the Catholic Church and French conservatives united in an anti-Semitic attack against the innocent Jewish army captain accused of treason. Monet passionately and actively joined the writer Émile Zola, who was arrested for defending Dreyfus in his famous article, "J'Accuse."

Tucker traces the rift in Monet's use of imagery from this time forward, as he turns his back on quintessentially French scenes to focus instead on the closely observed gardens in his own back yard. Tucker also subtly evokes Monet's despair during the long years of World War I, and his often heroic efforts to be of use, despite his age. This sumptuous volume, with its 12 fold-out plates of the Waterlilies, is very, very beautiful, but its story of an aging artist deeply engaged in his art and his times is something even better. --Peggy Moorman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
By the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Monet was a figure of national importance in France - the patriarch of Impressionism and the country's foremost landscape painter. This splendidly illustrated book examines, for the first time, the body of work that Monet completed between 1900 and his death in 1926, a period during which he was enormously productive, increasingly wealthy and ever more venerated. The paintings that crowned Monet's career include nearly 450 views of London, Venice and his gardens at Giverny. These paintings are almost signature canvases, especially the water lilies. The book sets Monet's challenges and achievements within personal and historical contexts and carefully reconstructs his painting campaigns. It also assesses his public persona and considers his personal and professional strategies. What emerges is a complicated story of an ageing artist determined to reinvent himself and the look of landscape art. It is an impressive book, and by focusing on Monet's later years brings valuable new insights to our understanding of his career generally. (Kirkus UK)

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