Claude Monet's painting Impression, Sunrise 1873 portrays a sailor journeying to the many possibilities his day may offer. Monet also produced nine other variations of this painting, all open to many interpretations. Some believe that his "mass productions" of nature series were done for monetary purposes. However, it is Monet's obsession with changing light effects over a day's period and color that led him to produce many variations of the same themes.
In “The Dispersal of the Modernist Series,” John Klein argues that series painters, such as Claude Monet, were driven by monetary motivations instead of unity and variations. He claims that the installation of Monet’s series had no distinct pattern or purpose, other than to persuade buyers that they wanted to purchase one of Monet’s pieces. Monet is one of the view artists who had financial success during his lifetime. His talent and perspectives varying the use of light, color, and texture directly generated Monet’s popularity and success. Viewers were drawn to his works because they could easily relate to a piece, and were able to connect with one over several others. Claiming that his main motivation was commercial fails to see the true beauty of his series and the intentions of his variations.
John Klein claims that the installation of Monet’s series had no significance other than appealing to the viewers interested in buying. He argues that “the way Monet’s series paintings were installed did not propose narrations of moments in the day or seasons in the year.” Monet was actually quite obsessed with the effects of light over the course of a day. As seen in all of his series, each piece portrays the same subject at a different moment of the day or season of the year. This pattern is what brought so many people to enjoy Monet’s work. They could go to an exhibition and choose their favorite piece out of several, deciding between various lighting, colors, and texture. Those that take pleasure in the brightness of spring could relate just as easily as those fond of the warmth of fall. Monet’s financial success was due to his wide range of viewers, not the strategic installations of his series.
Also supporting the idea that Monet’s installations were designed for commercial purposes, Klein declares that “these modern series have neither beginning nor end.” The appeal to Monet’s work is the viewers’ freedom of interpretation. They can choose their own beginning and end from his series, depending on how they view each piece. The truth about Monet’s installations was that he insisted to present his paintings as a unified achievement because the “his individual paintings ‘only acquire their full value by the comparison and the succession of the whole series’ when it is seen together.” The installations of his series were intended to make each painting look its best and illuminate various aspects of the surrounding paintings. Monet’s exhibitions were so powerful that buyers, who could afford it, wanting multiple paintings. These buyers found a story and connection in the pieces they desired. Monet’s intention was to create series that his viewers could connect to, and that is what he accomplished. His talent and easily relatable pieces brought him commercial success, not the design of his installations.
Declaring that Monet’s financial achievement only came from his series’ installation designs insults his creativity, determinations, and pure talent. It is possible that the rarity and excitement of owning a Monet piece from a series overshadowed some technical elements it possessed, but at the end of the day, Monet’s series mesmerized his viewers. His individual paintings were great, only appearing more magnificent when displayed together in series. Monet’s monetary accomplishments were only a result of his hard work and simply beautiful artwork.
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