Description:

CLAUDE MONET
(1840 - 1926) French painter and a most important founder on the Impressionist movement, perhaps best remembered for his gentle renderings of water lilies and pastoral scenes. HIS EYESIGHT FAILING, MONET DESPAIRS: 'I SEE LESS AND LESS...'. Fine content and association A.L.S. in pencil 'Cl. Monet' 3pp. 8vo., Giverny, Feb. 21, 1921, in French to the art critic Gustave Geoffroy, in part: '…[I] did not respond to your letter, being quite woozy for a few days…Writing is a big deal for me, I see less and less of it, which makes me terribly unhappy and nervous…'. However, Monet asserts that he nonetheless wants to tell Geoffroy '…the friendship that I have never ceased to have for you, as well as the regret of not seeing you more often and which is the fault of neither one of us…'. Monet puts himself at the disposal of Geoffroy, adding that Jean Monet will answer for him. He also acknowledges the receipt of the book on Guys, which he can't read for the moment, and is also curious to read the book on Firmin Maillard. With the original transmittal cover, executed in another hand. By 1921, Monet's eyesight had deteriorated badly due to cataracts, for which he refused to have surgery. With his loss of sight came a loss of his traditional painterly style: Monet's once-fine brush strokes were replaced by crude daubs, and his increasing inability to discern colors such as blue and green made him turn to the red shades of the color spectrum, exhibiting a fiery tone and primitivism as opposed to the soothing tones and shapes of his past works. By 1922, Monet was legally blind and, though he railed against it, finally faced the dreaded surgery in January 1923. After a long and frustrating recuperation, by 1924 he was able to see again. Gustave Geoffroy (1855-1926) was an early supporter of Impressionist art and a prolific writer as well as a friend and champion of Monet. He was also one of the ten founding members of the literary organization Académie Goncourt in 1900. French author Firmin Maillard is best remembered for his 1874 work 'The Last Bohemians'. Fine condition.

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August 16, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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