Monet's Ecology

<p><b>The first book to examine Monet's landscapes as ecological systems and intricate microcosms of nature and society</b></p><p>Known almost as much for his gardens as for his paintings, the Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926) held a fascination with nature that only deepened as his career progressed. <i>Monet's Ecology</i> is the first exhibition to investigate the artist's relationship to ecology and the environment. Illustrated with a dazzling array of landscapes, from his early coastal views of Le Havre to his "impressions" of Westminster Bridge and Gare Saint-Lazare, his Rouen Cathedral series and finally <i>Water Lilies</i>, each curatorial essay in the catalog examines a different aspect of Monet's "ecologies"—from the industrial biomes of London and Paris to the pastoralism of middle-class leisure and contemporary protests against climate change that directly invoke Monet's Giverny scenes—arguing that Monet's radical engagement with the natural world positioned him at the forefront of ecological awareness.</p>