Processing
The work is executed in ‘Retouch’ category oil on canvas pictography, following the methods and recipes typical of Renaissance workshops.
The work is executed with Maimeri and Winsor & Newton and Schmincke colours; the details are executed with the aid of a special magnifying glass in order to recreate every smallest detail exactly. Linen canvas prepared with a mixture of chalk and natural glue spread by several coats and solid wood frame with carved decorations, prepared with red bole and gilded with gold leaf. Frame dimensions: 54x69 cm.
History
The protagonist of the painting is this endless field of poppies, which largely decorates the field in the painting; the countryside on a summer's day in a typical Impressionist landscape. Looking at the painting, it can be divided into two parts: on the left, the dominant feature is the red of the poppies, while on the right is the uncultivated meadow, devoid of any particular vegetation. The technique used to paint the poppies is noteworthy: while the poppies in the foreground are larger than those in the background, thus suggesting the idea of depth, Monet paints the flowers in an original way. There is no trace of the preparatory drawing: the insubstantial brushstrokes are aimed at restoring the impression of the poppies and evoking effects of chromatic luminosity. The colour is dusted to define the base and then the shapes are refined with patches of colour, so as to bring out the large number of flowers and give each one of them a distinct originality.
Claude Monet, The Poppies (RETOUCH)