Detail of La Japonaise by Monet in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, July 2011

La Japonaise (Camille Monet in Japanese Costume)

1876

Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926

Dimensions: 231.8 x 142.3 cm (91 1/4 x 56 in.)

Medium or Technique: Oil on canvas

Classification: Paintings
Type: Portrait - Single - Female;
Genre - Interior; Oversize - Vertical

Accession Number: 56.147

Monet exhibited this work at the second group show of the Impressionist painters in 1876, where it attracted much attention. Large-scale figure paintings had traditionally been considered the most significant challenge for an artist. Using this format, Monet created a virtuoso display of brilliant color that is also a witty comment on the current Paris fad for all things Japanese. The woman shown wrapped in a splendid kimono and surrounded by fans is Monet's wife, Camille, wearing a blond wig to emphasize her Western identity.

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/la-japonaise-camille-monet...