Another elegantly made and thoroughly informative art-history documentary from Phil Grabsky, the latest in the Exhibition on Screen series. Although Grabsky is a past master in the mini-genre of gallery films, this one doesn’t seem linked to a particular show or collection, but rather juxtaposes excerpts from Monet’s letters with the paintings he was working on at the time. What emerges is a portrait of an artist who withstood his fair share of privation and discouragement – the passages around the birth of his children and death of his first wife are particularly tough – but who displayed an unswerving commitment to his work. It humanises a figure who has become somewhat devalued by the haze of modern-day blockbuster art shows. A graceful film that suggests there’s passion beneath the beautiful surface.
I, Claude Monet review – portrait of the artist as a passionate man
This article is more than 7 years old
A documentary that humanises the great impressionist whose stock has been devalued by blockbuster shows
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