It is my understanding that London at the turn of the century was dangerously
congested with people and pollution. Monet has titled this work “Grey Weather”,
so I take that to mean that the combination of artificial and natural fog is
the result of this hyper-impressionist work in the afternoon. In spite of the
dreary and dirty subject matter, this work is simply beautiful. |
The carefully framed arcade of Waterloo Bridge and the dense, bustling traffic
it supports is the subject of this amazing painting. Monet’s formal and
stylistic choices effectively communicate the dreary, tainted impression of
work and life in this thriving, yet impersonal, setting. Overlapping freehand strokes are blended by the eye to create the impression of
water, artificial structures, the solid mass of a crowd and a polluted
background. Dramatic value, restricted color purity, spatial pattern and global
texture are beautifully fleshed out across the canvas based on this foundation
of tiny gestural strokes.
The illusion of spatial depth is simply remarkable in this work. There is a distinct angled/flat foreground to
background configuration. Diminishing detail, color purity calibration and
atmospheric perspective unite in an indistinguishable
manner. Most beautiful of all, in my opinion, is the subtle yet effective use
of intuitive convergence Monet employs with the angle of the individual arches
that create the bridge. This scene is based on optical reality, and even so
the heavy abstraction of the scene still results in approximate symmetry of a
visually believable depiction.
Tension is created through the interplay of curved and perpendicular edges,
moments of extreme value contrast, calibration of detail and the proximity of
delicate dense greens and light golds. Value variety is equal to purity
restriction. Global texture, and a severely stunted and analogous color scheme
harmonize. If I were forced to choose a single strength from the harmonizing
and contrasting strategies in this painting, it would be how the polluted golds
raising from the skyline are reflected in the edge-identifiable water waves in
the foreground to unify the entire
canvas.
The single most pleasing pattern created by Monet in this painting is the
arcade that bisects the horizontal midsection of the canvas. This is simply exquisite:
Positive and negative space are expertly created through stark contrasts in
value. The viewer seems to be a distance away from the subject, and at an elevated
angle to it. The dimensions and placement of the picture frame is done in such
a way as to cause it to melt away from awareness, maximizing the impact of the
subject matter it frames.
In the tradition of O’Keeffe and Nix (or in the tradition he created with
respect to these two artists), Monet rendered the same subject dozens of times
under different lighting and weather conditions. Aside from the amazing and
varied strengths already mentioned, Monet has communicated as well as anyone I
can think of the impression of bustling activity deadening on the ears due to
thick, tainted air. I would venture to say Monet, evidenced by works such as
this one, is the next advancement from Seurat. 
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