Japanese Art: a Major Influence on the Work of Monet

Claude Monet, the figurehead of the impressionist movement, was strongly influenced by Japanese art. He was an admirer of the work of Hokusai and purchased several of his prints, which would go on to shake up his creative process.

Over the 1880s, Japanism made its whirlwind entry into western culture, especially in France. As Le Bon Marché sold prints, kimonos and fans, painters like Van Gogh and Monet were becoming captivated by this new aesthetic.

Ancient models and the classic use of perspective were transformed into a spectacular juxtaposition. Monet’s Waterlilies series was directly inspired by Japanese art. The colossal size of the paintings gives off a sense of calm and purity characteristic of Japanese prints. The Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony echoes this. Monet endows these landscapes with an almost sacred look.