labyrinthian pomp

my name is natalie. my deep adoration for the world from the universe itself to the little different flavored quarks is immense. some of my favorite parts include, but are not limited to: music, words, the human brain, living beings, and open-mindedness. i play violin and some guitar, piano and mandolin. i read books, especially russian novels and historical fiction but i also love magazines like Newsweek, Cricket, and Rolling Stone. NPR is my favorite radio station. i apologize for rambling, but its what i do. be respectful. give the world your best. love the planet. express yourself. waste not. and finally, remind me that no one actually reads this stuff so i need to shut up.

artpedia:

Claude Monet - Houses on the Achterzaan, 1871. Oil on canvas
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC:

This light-filled, en plein air scene is one of twenty-four landscapes that Monet painted during his sojourn in the Netherlands in 1871. Painted near the village of Zaandam, the Achterzaan river occupies the foreground of the painting while windmills and industrial buildings can be seen in the distant background. The water reflects the multi-colored houses and willow trees that line the river bank as well as a white sail boat that floats along the water. A woman dressed in a white diaphanous gown stands beneath a willow tree on the left, gazing by the water. Employing a distinctly blonde color palette reminiscent of that used by landscape painter Corot, Monet renders this scene with attention to atmospheric detail and palpable light. This painting also evokes a sense of leisure and pastoral beauty typical of Dutch seventeenth century paintings that Monet would have seen during his stay in Holland. The artist’s color palette, portrayal of leisurely pursuits, and increasing attention to the surface of the canvas—all practices that Monet explored during his stay in Holland—were significant and influential in the development of his increasingly modern approach to painting.Monet postdated this work, marking the canvas in his studio in the year after it was painted. The fact that Monet held on to the canvas for many years after he completed it contributes to the pristine condition of the unlined, unvarnished painting. — artpedia:

**Claude Monet** - *Houses on the Achterzaan,* 1871. Oil on canvas

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC:

This light-filled, en plein air scene is one of twenty-four landscapes that Monet painted during his sojourn in the Netherlands in 1871. Painted near the village of Zaandam, the Achterzaan river occupies the foreground of the painting while windmills and industrial buildings can be seen in the distant background. The water reflects the multi-colored houses and willow trees that line the river bank as well as a white sail boat that floats along the water. A woman dressed in a white diaphanous gown stands beneath a willow tree on the left, gazing by the water.

Employing a distinctly blonde color palette reminiscent of that used by landscape painter Corot, Monet renders this scene with attention to atmospheric detail and palpable light. This painting also evokes a sense of leisure and pastoral beauty typical of Dutch seventeenth century paintings that Monet would have seen during his stay in Holland. The artist’s color palette, portrayal of leisurely pursuits, and increasing attention to the surface of the canvas—all practices that Monet explored during his stay in Holland—were significant and influential in the development of his increasingly modern approach to painting.

Monet postdated this work, marking the canvas in his studio in the year after it was painted. The fact that Monet held on to the canvas for many years after he completed it contributes to the pristine condition of the unlined, unvarnished painting.