SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY IN ART 357 



"The Low Tide at Pourville," by Claude Monet, shows 

 the facility of this artist. The cloudy sky is reflected in the 

 moist sands, and the eye is carried along the beach to the 

 distant blue sea, which is painted with much distinctness. 



In many of Monet's pictures, the middle or far distances 

 are brought out with great force. It is a natural inclination 

 of the mind, on viewing a scene, to gaze beyond the immediate 

 foreground. Consequently, Monet's foregrounds are usually 

 indistinct, and especially in his highest psychological studies, 

 where this indistinctness of foreground has a philosophical 

 bearing. 



In point of fact, it is impossible to see clearly more than 

 one object at a time; all surroundings are less distinct, or re- 

 flect the color of the focal visual object. Monet's " Cabin at 

 Pourville," No. 169, illustrates this statement. The central 

 object of interest is a little shrimp-colored house. The atmo- 

 spheric conditions doubtless influence the mind of the observer, 

 but the tone most deeply impressed on the house is reflected 

 on the entire scene, on the hill beyond, and even in the sky. 

 The same idea is brought out in Renoir's pictures, where the 

 background, though often very indistinct, echoes the pre- 

 vailing rich colors of the figure which occupy the foreground. 



Monet's No. 168, "The Seine at Giverny," is a picture 

 which at once attracts attention. The view suggests calmness 

 and purity. A delicious fragrance steals over the senses, and 

 the delicate perfume of lilacs permeates the mind. The trans- 

 parency and depth of the water are finely represented. The 

 shadows of the trees growing along the banks are reflected 

 in the water, and again carry out the theory of dissymmetry. 

 For clearness and crispness of coloring, this picture is excelled 

 by none in the collection. 



No. 108, "Scene at Port Villers," carries out several of the 

 originalities of Monet's style. The canvas is covered by a thin 

 layer of a pale-gray tint. In places there is apparently an 

 absence of all color, and the canvas itself shows. The pre- 

 vailing tones are pinkish grays. The last layers of color are 

 laid on very heavily, and thus the scene is admirably repre- 

 sented. The theory of triangulation and dissymmetry is clearly 



