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microrobert
01-26-2014, 09:07 PM
Scientists uncover Monet's secrets

http://www.timeslive.co.za/Feeds/2014/01/24/1084818_900142.jpg/ALTERNATES/crop_630x400/1084818_900142.jpg

MOMENT IN TIME: The impressionist masterpiece 'The Cliff, Étretat, Sunset' by Monet was painted at 4.53pm on February 5 1883


If someone asked you what Claude Monet was doing at 4.53pm on February 5, 1883, you might struggle to give an answer.

But academics believe they have found out.

The French impressionist was standing at his easel overlooking the cliffs at Etretat in Normandy, capturing the watery winter rays of the fading sunset.

For the last 131 years, the composition The Cliff, Étretat, Sunsethas been holding a secret which only now has been uncovered by astronomers.

The University of Texas has applied forensic astronomy to the painting, studying the tides and alignment of the sun to work out the exact moment that Monet was trying to capture.

UK a stronomer and physics professor Donald Olson said: " We asked:

Could we use the dramatic rocks in the landscape and the position of the setting sun to determine where and when, specifically, Monet created this beautiful masterpiece?"

He painted a series of paintings featuring this stretch of the Normandy coast in the winter of 1883.

With The Cliff, Étretat: Sunset, the artist painted a rock formation known as the Falaise d'Aval along with the arch Porte d'Aval overlapping a tall, needle-shaped rock spire known as Aiguille (the Needle) that stands just offshore.

Of all the paintings Monet painted at Étretat, this is the only canvas that includes the disc of the sun, and that one detail opened the door to date the scene precisely.

To determine on which days in February the sun would have set in the proper location for Monet to capture in his painting, the researchers visited France in 2012.

The research team made extensive topographic measurements of the terrain at Étretat to determine the exact locations where Monet stood.

The team found that the view matched the scene depicted in Étretat: Sunset at only one location - a spot 389m from the Porte d'Amont on a rocky beach under an overhanging cliff.

The researchers then used planetarium software to compare the modern sky to that of the 19th century and calculated that the sun would have set along that path on February 5 1883.

It combed through letters Monet wrote from Étretat during his stay, along with weather records and tide tables from February of 1883 to confirm their date. It discovered that on February 3, Monet was working on nearby Jambourg Beach and the artist spent all day on February 4 entertaining his visiting brother.

The tides of February 6 did not match the painting, and Monet's letters show he paid close attention to the tides. On February 7, cloudy weather and rain storms began.

The calculated date of February 5 is the only one remaining that matches the sun's position, the weather and the tide level in the painting.

"We were able to determine the precise minute when Monet was inspired by that beautiful scene," Olson said. "Monet observed this sunset on February 5 1883 at 4.53pm local mean time."

Scientists uncover Monet's secrets - Times LIVE (http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2014/01/24/scientists-uncover-monet-s-secrets)

♥ Lily ♥
12-19-2014, 11:11 AM
I love Claude Monet's beautiful paintings, especially his paintings of waterlilies. His paintings are soothing and take me into another world.
http://uploads7.wikiart.org/images/claude-monet/water-lilies-40.jpg
http://www.bussol.ru/river_eu/im_fr/clod_mone_t.jpghttp://us.cdn200.fansshare.com/photo/monet/white-water-lilies-by-claude-monet-osa-water-lilies-1168497649.jpghttp://spallisonb.wikispaces.com/file/view/claude-monet-picture.jpg/139513717/claude-monet-picture.jpg
http://ipaintingsforsale.com/UploadPic/Claude%20Monet/big/The%20Water%20Lily%20Pond%20Pink%20Harmony.jpg
http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/pictures/giverny-4.jpg
http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/pictures/giverny-3.jpg
http://www.jackygallery.com/images/Water%20Lilies%20by%20Claude%20Monet%20OSA098.jpg