Wheatstack Sun in the Mist, 1891 and Under the Birches, Evening, 1842-43

Chapters 24 and 25 Object Comparison
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You should analyze these points: stylistic choices (e.g., abstract, naturalistic, idealistic, realistic), function or symbolism of the pieces (What were they used for? Do they communicate a message? Are they sacred or secular works of art), cultural context (e.g., how might the way of life at the time and place the pieces were created affected their function and style? Do historical events relate to the image or story depicted?). Also, I expect you to refer to the course readings, including the primary readings I uploaded to BlackBoard, in the essays. You must cite at least one source that is not our textbook. Claude Monet’s Wheatstack Sun in the Mist, 1891 is a landscape painting by the French painter on haystacks during sunset and symbolizes rural prosperity, but the painting appears more imaginary than real. Monet was the first impressionist painter, and the picture shows the outdoors and the focus is in the grainstack. Pierre-Étienne-Théodore Rousseau, Under the Birches, Evening, 1842-43 is a Barbizon painting, which captures the essence of nature and not the artificial compositional styles that were also common in France. The onset of twilight during autumn also represents the calm atmosphere. The landscape paintings represent the objects as well as the surrounding air and light to be realistic. Wheatstack Sun in the Mist and Under the Birches, Evening were purely landscape painting, where Monet focused on haystacks, and this was part of a series of painting on the subject. This was a time of wheat harvest, and the round shape of the haystacks is common in the French region where Monet stayed. Similarly, Rousseau’s painting is also a plein-air landscape painting where the outlines of bushes and plants reflect the artist’s idea about nature during autumn. The afterglow is reflected in the autumn evening. However, Rousseau adds more delicate colors to the tree are mostly brown when contrasted with the evening, and this makes the trees look graceful. Monet made paintings on the same subject as haystacks but then focused on different atmospheres, weather, time of day and seasons. The repetition allowed him to show the contrast in the objects and focus on the transience of light and he was aware of changes that affected French agriculture (Vardi 204).  Under the Birches, Evening the trees are seen against the light where the light-filled voids in the constant movement of nature