Monet in London

In 1871, war broke out, and the Monet family fled abroad. They settled in London, and Monet began a difficult, homesick period in his life. Yet it was in this grey, rainy, foreign city that the groundwork for the first modern art movement, the group that would later be known as the Impressionists, would be laid.

Many French aren’t too keen on the UK; the weather’s bad, the food is worse, and too few speak passable French. Monet was an exception, becoming drawn to the way the unique British weather created a quality of light totally different to that in Paris. Of London, Monet said: “Without the fog, London would not be a beautiful city. It's the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth. Its regular and massive blocks become grandiose within that mysterious cloak.”

Monet’s view of the Thames (postcard above) is found in the National Gallery in London. Here, it’s usually displayed next to a painting by fellow-Impressionist Alfred Sisley of a similar view (below). Monet’s painting cloaks the landscape in its atmosphere, showing a looming Palace of Westminster partially shrouded in fog, the Thames dully reflecting the grey London sky. Though it's a far less vibrant scene than Sisley’s, Monet really brings out the unique light found in grey, British days, and finds the specialness and beauty in them.

Monet and Pissarro took time to visit London’s galleries together, especially the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Here, he saw the works of the last generation of English landscape painters, including John Constable, but especially J.M.W Turner. Turner was similar to Monet in his interest in the effects of light and how it changed the colours in a scene, as well as his commitment to painting outdoors to more faithfully reproduce these colours. Though Monet would later dismiss the idea that he was influenced by Turner, the similarities between their work are clear, especially Monet’s habit of painting on a light coloured ground (the painted preparation of the canvas, the undercoat of the painting over which the artist paints the picture). At the time, it was traditional in France to use dark ground, and work from dark hues up to light. The Impressionists did the opposite, working from light colours and downwards, which is part of why their paintings have that lovely, almost shimmering luminosity. Turner was doing this half a century before Monet, and it's probable that Monet took this from the old English romantic painter. 

The most important contact that Monet made in London was the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. Monet was introduced to Durand-Ruel by fellow artist Charles-François Daubigny at the German Gallery on New Bond Street. After being told by Daubigny that Monet was an artist who ‘would surpass them all’, the dealer bought two of Monet’s canvases on the spot. Durand-Ruel would become one of Monet’s most steadfast supporters, virtually throughout his career, and his clever marketing helped Monet and the other Impressionists sell their work even when the art establishment dismissed it.

Despite the interruption, Monet returned to Paris with his career in a stronger position and even a little financial backing. Though conditions remained challenging in France, with Pissarro, he could now reconnect with artists like Sisley, Degas, and Morisot whom he met at the Académie Suisse. Together, these artists would plan a new challenge to the French art establishment, and change the art world forever.