Examining Claude Monet's "Valle Buona near Bordghera"

This is the second artwork I examined for my midterm. While my first painting was looking at Jackson Pollock's (an American painter) Portrait and a Dream, this is examining one of my favorite European artists. 

When I saw Claude Monet’s Valle Buona, Near Bordighera that he painted in 1884, I knew I wanted to write about this piece. Monet is one of my favorite, second only to Van Gough, so I knew that it would be a joy to write about one of his paintings. Even though I had seen Van Gough’s Banks of the Seine with the Pont de Clichy in the Spring, I opted to write about Monet’s piece instead, mostly because I knew I wanted to write about Pollock’s Portrait and a Dream, another man with a tragic background that left this world far too soon.

Monet created Valle Buona, Near Borgdihera with the use of vibrant colors. As an impressionist painter, Monet uses visible brush strokes and emphasizes on the colors and the feelings evoked, not necessarily the lines and contours that dominated the painting world at this time. As the name suggests, this is an impression of the scene, not an exact replica. By gazing at the painting, the viewer can feel the same sense of peace that Monet surely felt as he was looking at this landscape.  The beautiful blue of the mountains is set into contrast by the foreground, the vibrant greens and yellows of the brush. The sunlight filters through the blue sky, adding light and shadows to the scenery.

Valle Buona, Near Bordigherg is a peaceful and serene painting of a beautiful landscape. Monet was one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, this painting is painted in this style. While not nearly as famous as his paintings from his garden at Giverny and his paintings of the water lilies, this is a painting that certainly can hold its own.  While Monet’s most well-known paintings are from his garden in Giverny, he also has several paintings that were inspired by his many travels. Like his other paintings, Valle Buona, Near Borgdihera was created using Monet’s preferred medium: oil based paint.

Many of Monet’s paintings are simply looking at the natural world around us. Especially in a time when we are surrounded by so much technology and life can be superficial at best, seeing a painting that takes the time to focus on the natural beauty of the world around us is like a breath of fresh air. Even though this was painted more than 100 years ago, the same theme is quite apparent: the world around us is beautiful. While it may not have had such an important subject when Monet painted it, seeing the world in its natural glory is not something many people today take the time to see. The peacefulness that is evoked is a simple message to how peaceful and relaxing the world around us can be.

 Claude Monet is undoubtedly one of the leaders in the Impressionist movement. After examining Valle Buone, Near Borgdihera, I have a new respect for the way Monet was able to convey emotions with what, at first glance, is a simple scenery painting. As someone that has always admired Monet’s use of colors and the way he evokes emotions in the simplest painting, I have been amazed at how looking further into the history of the man and the painting have increased my respect for him.