CLAUDE MONET, THE COUNT OF IMPRESSIONISM

 

Impressionism emerged in France in the middle of the 19th century with Oscar Claude Monet (1840-1926) one of the chief pioneers of this revolutionary art movement. Monet painted some of the world's greatest Impressionism masterpieces. His work has been very well received by critics and people alike.

Impression Sunrise

So, what is impressionism? It is a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour. An excellent example is Monet’s Impression, Sunrise (1872). This painting is famous for giving a name to the Impressionist movement and it has now become a quintessential symbol of the movement. To begin with, it was not well taken by critics and the term Impressionist was coined in satirical fashion by an art critic and painter Louis Leroy after seeing a work by Claude Monet at the First Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in April 1874. However, the Impressionist movement became so popular that it spread to music and literature as well. The subject of this painting is the harbor of Le Havre in France. It's noted for its very loose brushstrokes that suggest rather than define it. Monet uses color as the main way to capture the very essence of the scene.

 

Early impressionists were considered radicals in their time, because they did not follow the rules of academic painting. Constructing their paintings from free brushed colours, and depicting the natural appearances of objects by means of dabs or strokes of primary unmixed colours in order to simulate actual reflected light, the impressionists like Monet and Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissaro created their magic.

 

San Giorgio at Dusk

 

San Giorgio at Dusk (1908-1912) is another Monet masterpiece of impressionism. Monet didn't intend to paint anything when he took a visit to Venice in 1908 as it had already been painted by so many other artists. However, during his stay, he was entranced by the sights in the city and he couldn't help but start painting. He began a series of preliminary works which he completed much later when he finally returned home. Among those was this painting, which is also known as Venice at Dusk and which became most popular. It is noted for its thin, light brushstrokes, and masterful depiction of light and the movement of water.

 

Houses of Parliament

 

Houses of Parliament Series (1900-1905): During his stays in London between 1900 1nd 1905 Monet painted this series whose subject was the Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament. All the 19 paintings in the series are the same size and depict the same scene from the same viewpoint - but they show a variety of weather conditions and times of the day. One of the paintings from the series fetched a whopping 20 million dollars at auction in 2004.

 

Other Monet paintings like Le Bain (1869), Woman with a Parasol (1875) in which he painted his wife and elder son, Poplar Series (1891) of 24 paintings in which he painted Poplar trees along the banks of the Epte River, Haystack Series (1890-1891), of 24 farmland scenes, Rouen Cathedral series (1892-1893) of 30 paintings of the French cathedral and Water Lilies series (Nympheas) (1896-1926) established Monet and his impressionism as a cult. The Water lilies series has almost 250 paintings and they depict dazzling complexity of color and light and it opens our eyes to the incredible diversity of nature and to the depth and mystery of the life it sustains. An amazing thing about these pieces of art is that Monet's eyesight was badly deteriorating due to cataract when he painted most of these masterpieces.

Water Lilies

 

The exceptional achievements of Monet’s prolific youthful period can be measured in works completed between 1865 and 1870, before he had begun to fragment his brushstrokes into the characteristic broken touches that were to become the hallmark of Impressionist style. Monet was plainly not trying to reproduce faithfully the scene before him as examined in detail but rather attempting to record on the spot the impression that relaxed, momentary vision might receive—what is seen rather than what is known, with all its vitality and movement. So the impression changed with the time of the day, the seasons, the light and the shade.

Impressionism broadly viewed, was a celebration of the pleasures of middle-class life; indeed, Monet’s subject matter from this period often involved domestic scenes featuring his wife, son, and garden. Monet found subjects in his immediate surroundings, as he painted the people and places he knew best. His first wife, Camille and his second wife, Alice, frequently served as models. His landscapes chart journeys around the north of France. He transformed French painting in the second half of the nineteenth century. Throughout his long career, Monet consistently depicted the landscape and leisure activities of Paris and its environs as well as the Normandy coast. He led the way to twentieth-century modernism by developing a unique style that strove to capture on canvas the very act of perceiving nature. He painted the same site again and again, recording how its appearance changed with the time of day. That is how he produced the painting series!

 

His popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century, when his works travelled the world in museum exhibitions that attracted record-breaking crowds and marketed popular commercial items featuring imagery from his art. In the 1910s and 1920s, Monet focused almost exclusively on the picturesque water-lily pond that he created on his property at Giverny. His final series depicts the pond in a set of mural-sized canvases where abstract renderings of plant and water emerge from broad strokes of colour and intricately built-up textures. The French government installed his last water-lily series in specially constructed galleries at the Orangerie in Paris, where they remain today. If you are interested in the magical art of Monet I suggest you visit this site: https://www.claudemonetgallery.org/the-complete-works.html?pageno=1

 

 

 

THE STORY BEHIND THE ENGLISH IDIOMS

Idioms are common linguistic expressions comprising of a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. We have all been using them, often unknowingly e.g. over the moon, see the light, because we are so used to listening to them. Usually, an idiom is figurative in modern contexts but once had a literal meaning. These literal meanings, or idiom origins, can help a learner of English to understand where a phrase originated. Linguists interested in etymology know that appearances are deceptive, and even some words that sound fresh may actually be centuries old. We have the Renaissance to thank for their appearance in the English language. 

 

The Renaissance was a cultural explosion, a golden age for all arts that traveled across Europe from the 14th and the 17th centuries, bringing an end to the Middle Ages. In English literature, this time was also characterized by the formation of Modern English. William Shakespeare significantly expanded the English vocabulary with many fun and quirky words and phrases and so was responsible for creating many famous idioms.

 

Crocodile tears: When we say that someone sheds crocodile tears, we mean that the person is insincere or fakes sorrow. However, this saying comes from a medieval myth stating that crocodiles shed tears while eating their prey. The source of this false belief is a 14th-century book named The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. The novel retells the supposed travels of a brave adventurer through Asia, including the following passage about crocodiles, “These serpents slay men, and ate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” Mandeville’s image of a weeping reptile captured the interest of William Shakespeare, who used the phrase crocodile tears in his works and turned it into the idiom we still use today.

 

Warts and all: If you’re willing to love someone, warts and all, it means that you’re accepting of them in their entirety, with all his/her imperfections. The authorship of the phrase belongs to Oliver Cromwell, the English general who temporarily overthrew the British monarchy and ruled the British Isles as Lord Protector in the 1650s. While Cromwell had his portrait made, he ordered the painter to depict him realistically, without flattery, with his warts and all.

 

Play devil’s advocate: This expression sounds pretty contemporary, but it traces its beginnings back to the 16th century. Today, the phrase refers to deliberately arguing for a contentious opinion to provoke debate. But back in the 1500s, the devil’s advocate was an actual law profession. Whenever a candidate was considered for sainthood within the Catholic Church, an attorney called advocatus diabolus was invited to participate. The lawyer’s part was to argue against the saint’s canonization by pointing out his or her flaws.

 

What the dickens! No, this idiom has nothing to do with Charles Dickens, the 19th-century writer. It is centuries older than the famous English author! Language historians have spotted this expression in Shakespeare’s works, so it dates back to at least the 16th century. But what does ‘dickens’ refer to? Researchers say it was likely a euphemism for the Devil. Today we usually use the expression ‘what the hell!’

 

Be true to yourself: This idiom means be whom you are, don’t try to change to make yourself particularly likable. It only makes sense that these wise words are uttered in a story where the main character is constantly confused about his role in life and everything going on around him - Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, these words of advice appear in the play in a rather unexpected and ironic context. In the play, it is Polonius, Ophelia’s father and by all considerations, the most tediously verbose character, who gives his son, Laertes, a long list of life advice as the youth departs for France. His final words are, “This above all: to thine own self be true.”

 

Playing it by ear: This refers to someone’s flexibility in planning - rather than sticking to a schedule, you’re willing to decide your course of action on the spot. This general meaning of this phrase only emerged in 20th century America, but the expression was used in the context of music since the 16th century. As a musical term, playing something by ear means a musician’s ability to reproduce a song they have heard without seeing the notes, just out of memory and perception.

 

By and large: By and large is pretty much a synonym of “to a great extent” or “all things considered,” but it didn’t always have these meanings. Like many contemporary idioms, such as 'loose cannon' and 'taken aback' the phrase 'by and large' began as a nautical term. The idiom dates back to the 16th century, and it consists of two parts: Large - describes a vessel sailing with the wind propelling the boat from behind. By - a ship that’s traveling in the general direction of the wind. Combined together, by and large is a situation in which a ship can sail in any direction relative to the wind.

 

A Hobson’s choice: This means there is no choice at all, and the origins of this phrase are a fun little story that dates back to the 16th century. Back in the day, many people would hire a horse to travel, much like Ola and Uber today. Thomas Hobson was in the business of hiring out horses in Cambridge. And Hobson was famous for never letting customers select which horse they would hire. Instead, the customers had to commit to the horse that was nearest to the stable entrance. Essentially, they were given Hobson’s choice. And this way, one Englishman’s quirk created an idiom we still use today.

 

Pie crust promises: A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. After baking it has a crus at the top which readily breaks. Pie  Promises are like pie crusts: easily made, easily broken. The phrase was first uttered as a complaint from a 17th-century political satire newsletter called Heraclitus Ridens. The words are attributed to Thomas Flatman, an English poet, who said, “He makes no more of breaking Acts of Parliaments, than if they were like Promises and Pie-crust made to be broken.”

 

Wild goose chase: Surprisingly, the origins of this expression have to do with not geese, but horses! This phrase most likely originated in the 16th century with a type of horse race where a single horse would start running through a path in the woods. A second horse would follow the first one, trying to follow the path of the lead horse exactly. More subsequent horses would follow, until the race reminded spectators of a flock of geese all exactly following the one in front—but admittedly wilder. Hence, wild goose chase.

 

Till the cows come home: When we think about animals that might take a really long time to get somewhere, we probably think of sloths or turtles but not cows. But for farmers trying to finish a busy day by milking the cows, usually the final task of the day was the time that they had to wait for the cows to return to the barn probably felt like an incredibly long time. The phrase likely dates back to the 16th century, where the phrase appeared in print for the first time in a French textbook. “I am tied by the foote till the Cow come home,” read a line of the 1593 textbook Ortho-epia Gallica.

 

Red herring: A clue that is meant to mislead or distract someone. During the 17th century, hunters would train their dogs to follow the correct scent. They would do this by placing pungent smoked fish in trees to distract the dogs, so they would become used to ignoring irrelevant scents.

I have two more blogs on English idioms and in case you are interested please click these hyperlinks:

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-origin-of-common-english-idioms.html

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-origin-of-common-english-idioms-2.html

 

 

THE EXPIRY OF YOUR FAVOURITE PERFUME - A SAD DAY

 

The milk packet that you purchase every morning, the cough syrup that you were prescribed when you had that cold, the frozen peas, the semi-cooked chicken nuggets, the bottled drinking water all have an expiry date printed on them, and you usually respect that date and promptly discard them once they are past that date. But you tend to hold on to your perfumes for eternity, and save them for special occasions. Please do not do so, perfumes too expire and sadly you have to part with them one day.So, make every day special and wear them!

Perfume can go bad in a process called oxidation. While some perfumes will expire in just a year, others can last for up to a decade. But if you keep a bottle unopened, still with the manufacturer's seal, in a dark place, it may well last an eternity. Factors that may affect the longevity of perfume are light exposure, temperature, ingredient quality, and bottle and pump quality.

 

Why do perfumes expire?

There are three main reasons why perfume goes bad: light, heat, and air. A recently opened century-old perfume bottle by Guerlain, which was sealed airtight with a glass stopper will still be good, but once the manufacturer’s seal is broken the process of oxidation will set in. The more you use your perfume, the more air is in the bottle, and that’s why you shouldn’t save perfume for special occasions that never come. Just use it up because a half-filled bottle will deteriorate quicker than a brand new one. The average shelf life of perfume is 2-3 years.

Another tip – where do you keep your perfume bottles? Always keep it in your wardrobe. It may be tempting to present your perfume on a shelf or in your bathroom, as mini perfume bottles are considered a thing of beauty, but exposure to humidity and light on a daily basis will eventually cause the perfume to expire quicker than it would stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Perfumes in aluminum bottles will keep longer than perfumes and glass bottles. Dark bottles and dark packaging keep them safe so don't discard the outer casing.

 

What happens to perfume when it expires?

An expired perfume may lose the potency and strength of its scent, the depth of the different layers of fragrance notes, and some of its complexity. It can also smell like vinegar or metal. Fragrances with synthetic ingredients will have a longer shelf life than fragrances that are formulated with more natural ingredients. Today, most fragrances are synthetic, meaning the ingredients are either man-made or synthesized in a lab from chemicals that duplicate natural ingredients. Natural fragrances (or a hybrid of natural and synthetic) last about two and a half to five years from the time of purchase, whereas synthetic fragrances can actually last up to 10 years due to the stability of the man-made ingredients, but this doesn’t take into account heat, light, formula or packaging, which can really change the longevity of the fragrance. In one of my previous blog, about our perfume industry in the city of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, I have described in details about the history of perfumes all over the world and manufacturing and marketing of perfumes. You can read it by clicking 

http://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2017/10/you-smell-great.html

 

What to do with expired perfume?

There is no health hazard in wearing a perfume that has gone bad. It may smell unappealing, and it may even stain your clothes, but that’s where the negative impact ends. In fact, some perfumers say that, in most cases, the odd smell will disappear a few minutes after you sprayed the perfume on, leaving you with what’s called the base or middle tones of the fragrance. If you’re concerned about possible skin irritation, you can spray the perfume on your clothes rather than your bare skin.

As an eternal optimist I always spray a few times because it may be just the fragrance in the pump tube that has gone bad. Finally, the trusted it can mean your fragrance is oxidizing. It’s also important to check the translucency and colonose of a friend can also help you determine if it's time to throw the perfume out. Ask for someone's opinion.

 

How to tell if a perfume has gone bad?

Some scents, like citrus and floral ones, will go bad quicker than others, like musk, vanilla, and other spicy or woody tones. Pay attention to discoloration. Expired perfume will likely darken in color - colourless perfumes turn yellow.  The best way to determine if a fragrance is expiring is by paying close attention to the smell, texture, tone and coloring of the perfume. If you detect an astringent note that wasn’t there before, it’s definitely starting to turn bad.  It will soon become vinegar-smelling and that’s when you know you have to toss it. Then again if you notice crystallization on the outer edge of the dispenser it can mean your fragrance is oxidizing. It’s also important to check the translucency and coloring of the perfume. 

Another sign that your perfume might be expiring is if your skin is starting to become irritated when you apply it, even if you’ve used it a hundred times before. From tiny red spots, bumps or allergic reactions on the skin, anything unusual must prompt you to check the label to see if there are any ingredients you might be allergic to, or ask the brand about what botanicals might be on in the bottle. You must also look at the batch code on the underside of the fragrance bottle and inquire about the product’s expiration date online.

 

What to do with an expired perfume bottle?

Here are some ways in which you can use the expired perfume till the last drop.

• Often a bad smell starts coming from the books. If you spray old perfume on the books, the books will smell like the fragrance that you love.
• Sometimes the bathroom or kitchen sink smells bad.  You can end this bad odour coming from the sink by spraying the expired perfume.
• You can also spray this perfume in your wardrobe. This will keep the clothes full of fragrance and there will be no bad odor in our wardrobe.
• You can use expired perfume as a room freshener on the arrival of your guests. Besides, the option of spraying on the bed can also be good.
• It can also be used as a car spray.
• You can also make a fragrant candle by adding a few drops of this perfume while making the candle. You can use this fragrant candle on your special days.
• In the rainy season, you can spray old perfume in the corners of the house to avoid the smell of dampness.
• If you are giving a gift to someone special, then you can use perfume on that too. In this way, when your loved one opens the gift he/she will experience a nice fragrance.
• If your shoes smell bad, then you can also keep the smell away by spraying old perfume in them.
• While cooking Bombay-duck or eating Durian in the kitchen, you can also use perfume to avoid the smell coming in the lounge room.

 

To extend the life of a perfume, it's best to store it in a cool dark place, away from heat and daylight, as UV light can harm the fragrance and breakdown its formula. And once you have decided to dispose off the expired perfumes there’s no excuse not to recycle, resell or re-purpose fragrance bottles.