| San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk | |
|---|---|
| French:Saint-Georges Majeur au Crépuscule, Italian:San Giorgio Maggiore al crepuscolo | |
 | |
| Artist | Claude Monet |
| Year | 1908–1912 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65.2 cm × 92.4 cm (25.7 in × 36.4 in) |
| Location | National Museum Cardiff ofCardiff, Wales |
Saint-Georges majeur au crépuscule (Eng:Dusk in Venice,San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight[1] orSunset in Venice) refers to anImpressionist painting byClaude Monet, which exists in more than one version. It forms part of a series of views of the monastery-island ofSan Giorgio Maggiore. This series is in turn part of a larger series of views ofVenice which Monet began in 1908 during his only visit there.
One version ofSan Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk was acquired in Paris by the Welsh art collectorGwendoline Davies. She bequeathed it to the Art Gallery (nowNational Museum Cardiff) inCardiff,Wales. The painting is normally on display there.[1][2]
The other version is in theBridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo.[3]
San Giorgio Maggiore al Crepuscolo is approximately two-by-three feet and painted in oil on canvas. It depicts mysterious buildings that seem to magically appear from the surrounding landscape, they almost seem to float in the background. The forms are gently inserted, though not enough to disguise their identity. The painting focuses on theChurch of San Giorgio Maggiore with its bell tower rising to the top of the painting. To the right are the faintly visible domes ofSanta Maria della Salute and the mouth of theGrand Canal.
Monet painted the church of San Giorgio Maggiore in six lighting conditions. With this varied approach, the paintings focused on the ‘nature of experience.’He was particularly impressed by the Venetian sunsets, “these splendid sunsets which are unique in the world.” He had previously been inspired by other sunsets, such as those ofNormandy (inRouen Cathedral andHaystacks, his series of the 1890s) and London (Houses of Parliament).
Monet and his wifeAlice stayed at thePalazzo Barbaro for a couple of weeks, and then moved to the Hotel Britannia, where they stayed until December.[4]According to Mme. Monet, the Britannia had a view, "if such a thing were possible, even more beautiful than that of Palazzo Barbaro..." Monet painted looking out from this hotel, but not, it seems, in the case of this particular painting. Although the view from the hotel included the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the painting at dusk appears to have been viewed from the waterfront known as theRiva degli Schiavoni, where the island forms a focal point of the view.Monet was reportedly reluctant to paint from the waterfront. He disliked crowds of tourists and he was also worried about conforming to other artists who were drawn to Venice, such asRenoir orManet.[5] San Giorgio Maggiore was a favorite subject for painters, including the proto-ImpressionistTurner.[6][7]
Monet felt Venice was a city "too beautiful to be painted",[8] which may be why he returned with many paintings unfinished toGiverny, his home in France.[9] However, he had already retreated from his earlier practice of painting from life, in front of the subject. He worked on the Venetian scenes at home and the death of his wifeAlice in 1911 seems to have been a factor in their completion.
In 1912 the Venice paintings were mainly dispersed as a result of a successful exhibition of twenty-nine canvases. This exhibition, entitledClaude Monet Venise, was held at the galleryBernheim-Jeune in Paris. The same gallery had hosted exhibitions of the Rouen and London series.
The painting became familiar in 1999 after its appearance inJohn McTiernan’sheist filmThe Thomas Crown Affair. In the film the picture is stolen from theMetropolitan Museum of Art. In actuality, the Metropolitan does not own the painting, although they have another of Monet's Venetian scenesThe Doge's Palace Seen from San Giorgio Maggiore.
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