À propos de l’œuvre
La japonaise, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Camille in a kimono in the middle of sixteen fans · Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The Japanese, Camille Monet W387hand painted reproduction
Camille Monet turns around in a bright red kimono whose back bears an embroidered warrior. She raises a tricolor fan and smiles towards the viewer; around her, sixteen Japanese fans stand out against a blue-gray wall. Monet transforms the great tradition of portraiture into a spectacular staging of Parisian Japonism.
Look at the work
A monumental red stands out against the blue of the fans
The figure occupies almost the entire height of the canvas. Camille turns her chest towards the viewer, but her long red train spreads to the left on the ground mats. The diagonal of the open fan extends the movement of his head and arms.
The kimono wears embroidery of foliage, birds and a warrior brandishing a sword. The relief of the embroidered face creates the illusion of a second figure. On the wall, the round, folding fans form an irregular constellation rather than continuous wallpaper.
The painting deliberately contrasts Camille's Western identity, accentuated by her blonde wig, with the accumulation of Japanese objects surrounding her.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
Red as the main architecture
The kimono descends from the upper body to the wide train. Its folds, gold and embroidery prevent this dominant surface from becoming flat.
A pose designed to show the back of the garment
Camille turns her shoulders while looking at the viewer. This twist makes the embroidered warrior visible and transforms the costume into a major subject.
Sixteen fans to liven up the background
Their sizes, angles and patterns are constantly changing. The blue spaces between them allow the red silhouette to remain readable.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The unique reference corresponds to inventory 56.147 of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Wildenstein version 387. The file of 1,494 × 2,454 px was preserved without enlargement and encoded in WebP.
Camille's face remains very clear
Its skin tone, blond hair and white fan form the main luminous group above the kimono.
The embroidered warrior has its own volume
His face, armor and sword follow the folds of the textile. It must appear embroidered on the garment, not placed in front of the face.
The floor changes the direction of the decor
Geometric mats create oblique lines under the train and stabilize the depth of the foreground.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Signed and dated 1876, this oil on canvas measuring 231.8 × 142.3 cm is kept at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston under inventory 56.147 and classified Wildenstein 387.
Presented as Japonerie in 1876
Monet shows the canvas at the impressionist group's second exhibition. Its scale, color and subject immediately attract comments, both favorable and critical.
Camille Monet directed as a Parisian
Camille, naturally brunette, wears a blonde wig. The Museum of Fine Arts emphasizes that this choice affirms its Western identity among Japanese objects that have become highly sought after in Paris.
A fascination as brilliant as it is ambiguous
The painting testifies to the European craze for Japanese prints, textiles and objects after the commercial opening of Japan. Its theatricality invites us to look at both the virtuosity of the painter and the way in which Parisian fashion transformed these objects into exotic decor.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Respect the monumental vertical format.
- Model the red folds with gold, black and white.
- Follow the warrior's embroidery with the volumes of the kimono.
- Keep the sixteen separate fans on the blue-gray background.
Work sheet
| Title | The Japanese, Camille Monet W387 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1876 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 231.8 × 142.3 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Inventory | 56.147 · Wildenstein 387 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This spectacular composition is suitable for a large living room wall, high entrance or reception area. A lacquered black, gold or red-brown frame dialogues with the kimono; a petrol blue or light gray wall reinforces its contrast.
