Essay --

Formal Analysis Paper Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) was a French painter known for his use of bold color and unusual subject matter. In the 1860’s, Monet joined like-minded artists such as Edgar Degas; to create the movement that became known as Impressionism. Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was also French but born to a wealthy family. He benefitted from traditional training and was not comfortable with the label â€Å"Impressionist† due to this training. This paper intends to analyze Claude Monet’s "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol"(fig. 1), and Edgar Degas’ â€Å"The Little Fourteen–Year–Old Dancer† (fig. 2), through a consideration of composition, use of color, perspective, and brush strokes. Capturing the natural play of light and shadow was a signature theme in all of Monet’s work. In this painting, he positions the light to the right of the woman and boy which leads the viewer’s eye up. He then uses shadows in the parasol, the woman’s face and on the ground to lead the viewer’s eye back down the painting. The deliberate placement of the light and shade is an effective tool that he uses with a lighter touch in the boys clothing, the clouds and notably the grass. This piece showcases Monet’s use of color, which was another one of his signature themes. He uses cool colors to give the painting a tranquil feeling and to help emphasize his subjects, the woman and boy. He stays with the cool color pallet with use of blue in; the sky, the woman’s clothes, the grass and the boy’s clothes. He then incorporates warm colors into the piece with the use of white in the clouds, and in the models’ clothes, the parasol, an d even in the grass. Monet used the highlights of yellow and white to serve as focal points as well as natural highlights... ...al cloth. While the corset appears to be tailored loosely, the tutu seems to fit but it lies limp against the figure’s legs. Despite the use of mixed media, the dancers tights are actually sculpted, not fabric. The ballet slippers are actual shoes coated with wax; the same wax covers the entire sculpture, preserving her and the fragile elements. In Monet’s painting, "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol", the viewer is led through a journey of expressive brushstrokes, color, and the playfulness of light and shadows. He successfully uses his impressionistic brushwork to grasp the viewer’s attention and keeps their interest with his balancing of warm light and the shadowing cool colors. Degas uses his knowledge and study of the human figure to grab the viewer’s attention; he then follows up with his unconventional use of bronze and mixed media to keep their intrest. â€Æ'