The Chef (Le Père Paul)
The light! The colors! Impressionist paintings seem to radiate light from within. Nuances of pink, blue, and green are juxtaposed. Close up, all one initially notices are dabs of paint. Only from the right distance do the chef’s hat and jacket, illuminated passages and shadows take shape. Like all Impressionists, Monet is not interested in neatly depicting real objects but rather in the fleeting perception of optical phenomena. The sitter is Paul Antoine Graff. He was a much-lauded chef and the owner of a small hotel in Pourville in northern France, where Monet stayed for several weeks in 1882.
1882
Oil on canvas
64.5 x 52.1cm
540
Image © Belvedere, Vienna, 2024
Where you'll find this
Upper Belvedere
Permanent collection