New Public Show Explores Influence of Leon Monet

New Public Show Explores Influence of Leon Monet

Behind some great men, there is a big brother.

Leon Monet, Claude Monet's older brother, is central to a new public art show, or exhibition, in Paris. The exhibition explores the part Leon Monet played in the famous impressionist painter's life and art.

Leon was a color chemist who was four years older than Claude. Historians¹ now understand that Leon helped Claude succeed. He helped in the development of the famous color palette that Claude used to create artworks like the "Water Lilies" series.

Geraldine Lefebvre is in charge of the exhibition at the Musee du Luxembourg.

"It's never been known before, but without Leon there would not have been a Monet — the artist the world knows today," Lefebvre said.

She explained, "His rich big brother supported him in the first period of his life when he had no money or clients and was starving."

Lefebvre said that the colors Claude was famous for "came from the synthetic² textile dye colors Leon created" in the town of Rouen. Rouen was the subject of some of Claude's best-known paintings.

The exhibition represents years of investigation³ by Lefebvre. She visited Monet's great-grandchildren, studied family records and brought to light a painting of Leon by Claude.

Leon hid the painting in a private collection. The 1874 artwork has never before been seen by the public. It shows Leon with a black suit, serious expression and red face.

The exhibit shows that the long-held belief that the Monet brothers did not communicate is incorrect.

"Historians always thought the two brothers had nothing to do with each other," she said.

"In reality, they were incredibly close throughout their life," Lefebvre said.

The brothers had an argument in the early 1900s and that may explain why no direct signs of the relationship exist.

What is now known is that Leon helped his younger brother. He introduced Claude to other artists, gave Claude money, and purchased Claude's art — buying it at high prices to improve the painter's public image.

"This exhibit is important as it throws light on Leon Monet, who up until now has been an invisible figure," said Frances Fowle of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Leon's influence went beyond his brother: He financially supported other artists such as Camille Pissarro, Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley.

Claude Monet also worked for his older brother as a color assistant. Leon would dissolve carbon to create a chemical called aniline, which created synthetic colors that natural colors could not compete with. One of the earlier examples of Leon's colorful influence on Claude's art is in the exhibition. It is an 1860s picture Monet drew of his future wife Camille. She appears in a dress of a green color that had never been seen before.

"The French press coined the term ‘Monet green,'" Lefebvre said, adding that reporters made fun of it at first. "At the time, they said he would make a good dye artist."

However, both Monets had the last laugh.

Claude Monet founded impressionism — a term that comes from his 1872 painting "Impression, Sunrise" — to become one of the most famous painters of the last two hundred years. And by the height of the artistic⁴ movement at the end of the 19th century, "80 percent of all impressionists' work" used the synthetic colors borrowed from Leon, Lefebvre says

Leon Monet. Brother of the Artist and Collector runs at the Musee du Luxembourg in Paris from March 15 until July 16.

Words in This Story

palette -- n. the range of colors used by someone

synthetic – adj. made by combining different substances : not natural

textile – n. a fabric⁵ that is woven or knit⁶

dye – n. a substance used for changing the color of something (such as hair or cloth) usually permanently⁷

introduce – v. to make (someone) known to someone else by name

invisible – adj. impossible to see : not visible

figure – n. a person who has a specified⁸ status or who is regarded in a specified way

dissolve – v. to mix with a liquid and become part of the liquid

coin a term – expression to be the first person to say or develop a term or expression

1 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

2 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

6 knit   

vt.编织，密接，结合，皱眉；vi.编织，变得紧凑，愈合；n.编织

参考例句：

• She could knit up a baby's coat in an afternoon.她能在一个下午织好一件婴儿的衣服。
• Our letters enabled us to knit up our old friendship.通信使我们恢复了旧日的友谊。

7 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

8 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。