WP3: Statement of Purpose

The goal of my essay is to show the audience the many techniques used by Michael Todd, the author of "Monet's Table (from the Lilypad Series)," to emulate the artistic style and persona of Claude Monet. Beginning from what I believe to be the most important technique, the position of this art object in its environment plays a crucial role in demonstrating the impressionist art style of Monet. As a result, the environment is nearly as important as the piece of art. The environment is constantly changing, creating different lighting situations, different seasons, and so on. This is an important trait to the impressionist art style. Additionally, the material--it's color and texture, are important for the same reasons.

I found a website full of famous Monet quotations, some of which I want to use in support of my argument. For example, "I know that to paint the sea really well, you need to look at it every hour of every day in the same place so that you can understand its way in that particular spot and that is why I am working on the same motifs over and over again, four or six times even." This quotation could be helpful in explaining the impressionist emphasis on lighting and how it all relates to Michael Todd's work of art. It also shows Monet's reasons for creating the lengthy series of paintings depicting waterlilies.

Another interesting subject that could be worth some discussion is the noticeable differences between the surface of the table and the legs. The top surface is composed entirely of uniform circular plates, creating visual unity through the symbolic use of the circle. On the other hand, the legs are made of varying shapes and sizes. In effect, the legs are what makes this piece of art appear to be a real table while the top surface greatly enhances the emphasis on the impressionist art style. I could compare and contrast these two elements of the sculpture to help show Michael Todd's use of impressionism in the piece.

Lighting is one of the most important aspects in Monet's paintings. Monet used a combination of lighting and differing viewpoints within his paintings in order to generate certain pathoses. Monet's art style is reflected through the placement of Michael Todd's "Monet's Table." The table is strategically placed under a bridge so that, as the sun moves through the sky, the shadow of the bridge moves across across the surface of the table. This alone emphasizes Monet's attention to lighting. Also, the table is placed in an area from which there are many unique viewpoints; it can be viewed from below, from nearly every direction at ground level, and even from above on the bridge. Michael Todd clearly wanted to reflect the highlights of Monet's art style through his own piece.