La Prominade by Claude Monet perfectly describes the “silent, yet inviting” painting. This famous painting by Monet seems very still and most people who view it would probably think to themselves “Oh, what a lovely and beautiful piece of art,” but it is so much more than that. There are so many questions that could be asked about what Monet was thinking when he created this piece.
The first question I would ask is who are the woman and little boy in the painting? I want to know if Monet was thinking of two certain people in mind when we painted this piece. The first thing that comes to my mind is that Monet was actually depicting himself as a child with his own mother. Of course, I could be totally wrong, but it seems like a logical explanation. Also, the woman in the painting has a look of despair. It makes me believe that she is either contemplating something really important in her life, or she is truly unhappy about something. She is also holding an umbrella, which could be shielding her from the world, or she does not want others to see her sadness. The look on her face is juxtaposed to the colors that Monet chose to use in this painting. The blues and greens used in this piece are whimsical and serene, yet the facial expressions are of dismay. This confuses me a little, so I would love to be able to ask Monet what meaning he is trying to convey with the expressions.
Another question I would love to ask is why the little boy in the painting only has eyes, and no more facial features. To me, it seems that he is troubled, almost as if he cannot decide whether or not he is happy or sad. If the little boy is a depiction of Monet as a child, maybe Monet was trying to portray his childhood’s lack of identity. For example maybe he was always in the shadows of others and neglected when he was young. He also may have had great times as a child; it is very hard to tell.
All in all, La Prominade may be “silent and still,” but there are so many questions to be asked of it. Berger believes that when a painting is not in its original form, it looses its “time” and “mystification,” and does not truly show all of the emotions that are supposed to be conveyed when someone views it. I really do not think this is the case, because if someone wants to look deeper into the meaning of a painting, or even a text, they can get many different meanings out of it, yet still have many questions left.
