IF YOU GO TO SAN FRANCISCO …
When you visit the Legion of Honor‚Äôs ‚ÄúMonet: The Early Years‚Äù don‚Äôt expect to see water lilies, Rouen cathedrals, poplars, or haystacks. They were painted much later. This exhibit focuses on Monet’s¬†earliest paintings, from 1858 to 1872. He¬†was just 17 in 1858, the year¬†he started showing his work to the public.
Monet’s¬†early years were marked with rejection and poverty, but, encouraged by artists such as Boudin and Manet, he continued to make art. Eventually, he would even name the movement his work represents: Impressionism.
Though most of the paintings in the exhibit are not well known, it’s exciting to see where this beloved artist began. Even at 17, his genius was obviously taking root and would grow into a body of works treasured the world over.
The exhibition runs to May 29, 2017. In two years, the Legion of Honor will host an exhibition focusing on Monet’s paintings from age 72 on. It will be called, appropriately, “Monet: The Later Years.”
