A Fresh View of Monet | By Joanna Hazelden

My 12-year-old daughter is a budding artist, so we decided to go down to the newly reopened Art Institute to catch the new exhibit, Monet and Chicago. Although I've seen his work many times at the museum and in other exhibits, I appreciated a fresh view. My favorites in the exhibition were the London series, while my daughter liked the seascapes.

In addition to the museum's permanent works, there were pieces from private collections and a grouping of his caricatures that I'd never seen. I also had forgotten, or never realized, that Monet took a trip to Norway and was fascinated by the light playing on snow and ice. We were both slightly horrified to learn he'd returned to a scene to finish The Petite Creuse River and found a tree had changed, so he had workmen strip it so he could complete the painting!

Since he's so important to Chicago and the art world, it's no surprise the library owns dozens of biographies and beautiful catalogs of his work. Even if you can't visit the museum, you can enjoy the magic of his paintings.

See more of Monet’s paintings on the Art Institute’s Artist Page.

Joanna Hazelden is the Branch Librarian at the Edgewater Branch Library