Monet In So Many Words

“It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.”

-Claude Monet

Today we're going to work off of some art inspiration for a series of freewrites. Ideally, these exercises are meant to be done back to back, but if you'd like to spread them out, you can. We'll be working with some photos Emily and I took while we were out and about in Chicago. (Did you hear about our awesome writing day trip? No? Click here for a quick synopsis.) Impressionist paintings are my absolute favorites, and it's no small secret that Claude Monet is my favorite artist, so the Impressionism Wing in the Art Institute was an absolute must-see for me.

If you haven't been yet, you're in luck for now: I'm here to share some of my favorite Monet paintings at the Art Institute, AND pair them with writing prompts so that you can walk away today feeling inspired and productive. These are all freewriting exercises (not "ferreting" exercises as my Mac's autocorrect likes to keep insisting). If you're not sure what freewriting is or how it works, you can take a look at our post giving you the run-down by clicking here.

How this is going to work:

Each freewrite will last 10 minutes. There are four exercises. I suggest blocking out an hour so that you have time to go back through the exercises and underline your "sparkly spots", as my favorite poetry professor likes to call them. (Sparkly spots are basically just lines you really like. So you harvest them for poems by underlining them.) Remember that not everything you get from freewrites will be gold, but it's good practice to train your brain to run wild from time to time. Often, you'll find ways of expressing yourself you would have never found if you were staring at a blank page with the intent to write a 10 line poem with ABAB rhyme scheme. So make a cup of coffee, sit back, and let your brain do its thing for 40 minutes.

Ready to start? Here we go.

#1: Water Lily Pond (Claude Monet; 1917/19)

Prompt: 

Freewrite for 10 minutes. Focus on describing the colors in the painting. In short, attempt to put the elements of this painting into words, as you see it.

Some starting points (if you need them): Monet once said, "Color is my daylong obsession, joy and torment." Do you see the blending of torture and joy in the colors of the painting? Does something have to blend the two to be exquisite? What do the colors mean to you?

#2: Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) (Claude Monet; 1890/91)

Prompt:

Freewrite on this painting for 10 minutes. Focus on Monet's use of light. Describe the way the light falls in as many different ways as possible. In short, put this painting into your own words.

Some starting points (if you're in need of them): Monet once said, "Everyday I discover more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it." What elements does the light highlight in this painting? Does the light fall so as to highlight the most important aspects of the painting (in your eyes), or the least? What do the shadows, or the lack of light, emphasize or mean to you?

#3: Cliff Walk at Pourville (Claude Monet; 1882)

Prompt:

Freewrite for 10 minutes on this painting. Focus on the story. Create a background story for the two figures standing on the cliff, as well as the observer. In short, put this painting into your own words.

Some starting points (if you need them): What does this painting make you feel like? Joyful? Light-hearted? Blinded? Nostalgic? Write about it, and better yet: try to put your finger on why it makes you feel this way. Reach back to any similar memories you may have and write about those, too.

#4: Irises (Claude Monet; 1914/17)

Prompt:

Freewrite on this image for 10 minutes. Focus on the viewer's relation to the painting. Put yourself in her shoes: what would it feel like to be standing in the Impressionist Wing of the Art Institute with no one else around? What kind of colors would you be experiencing if you were her? What would you be feeling---sad or happy or awe-struck or something else entirely? What is your connection to art?

Conclusion

As I said before, take 20 minutes and go back through your freewrites. Underline the sparkly spots and read over what you've written. Read it out loud, if you'd like. Think about the reoccuring images, themes, words, or ideas that pop up and try to write a poem from them. 

I'll leave you here with this last piece of inspiration for the day.

 "I would like to paint the way a bird sings." -Claude Monet

I'm not sure if any words will ever paint the sum of his work quite as well as those. But we'll keep trying. 

As always, feel free to share your thoughts and "sparkly spots" in the comments. If you'd like to submit to Floodmark,  you can find our contact information in our "Contact" page.  Are you digging the art-inspired prompts? Check out "The Beauty of the Kiss  for a Musing about art and poetry. For more information on Claude Monet at the Art Institute, click here. Thanks for reading!