358 LITERARY PAPERS 



expressed by the lines of trees to the right, forming the hypo- 

 tenuse. The edge of the bank is a transverse line, prominently 

 shown, and the ground rises above it in ragged outline against 

 the sky, broken, dissymmetrical. The hill is reproduced in 

 the river by reflection. This general effect is one of the best 

 illustrations of symmetry in any of Monet's works. The sub- 

 jective side of this picture is produced by adherence to sim- 

 ple and exact principles. The ground- plan is triangular, and 

 the tints are in those colors which subjectively produce the 

 sensations of chilliness. 



Monet's "Morning at Pourville," No. 216, is an interest- 

 ing study of shadow effects. The rock that boldly rises in 

 the foreground is reflected in the rolling sea as a triangle. 

 Here let us note how frequently any distinct object in the fore- 

 ground of Monet's pictures is sure to be inorganic, inanimate, 

 massive, stable, recalling the blind, immutable forces of un- 

 sympathetic nature. The extraordinary sheen of the water 

 is most noticeable; straight lines of light aid the mind to realize 

 that it is real water upon which the observer looks. The de- 

 lusion is complete. The gallery and all surroundings vanish, 

 and the sea spreads before you, with its restlessness. Inno- 

 cence is depicted upon the siren's countenance. In the past, 

 how many adventurous mariners she has lured on to repose 

 upon her trustful bosom, only to drag them to her distant 

 abode, the dwelling of death! 



When Monet obtains his best water effects for depth and 

 transparency, he employs thin, delicate colors. Pale green 

 and blue exert a marked psychological influence upon the 

 aesthetic emotions, reviving peaceful or agitating thoughts in 

 the soul, as the conditions of the picture exact. For late even- 

 ing effects, salmon pinks and dark greens are used with telling 

 results, as in No. 219, "Evening on the Seine." 



The "Wheat Field," of Monet, No. 158, will instantly attract 

 the observer, as more than a landscape; in fact, in the ordi- 

 nary sense, none of Monet's pictures are landscapes, but men- 

 tal studies. 



The middle distance is the field of wheat, ripe, and await- 

 ing the labor of man, to be applied to its greatest usefulness. 



