LITERARY PAPERS 
358 
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. 
