Type: Embroidered painting
Technique: Mixed embroidery
Year: 2017 - ongoing
Edition: Limited (99)
Size: Medium
Dimension: 65 x 80 cm | 25.6 x 31.5 in
Number of stitches: over 1.9 mio
Thread length: over 28 km | over 17.4 mi
Thread colours: 98
Development: over 500 person hours
Monet has captured his motif outdoors, probably in a single several hours session. The “snapshot” depiction of his wife and son conveys the feeling of a casual everyday outing rather than of a formal portrait. His wife’s veil and dress are blown by the wind, their spiralling folds and waving of grass are a physical embodiment of the breeze that can be discerned fluttering across the canvas. Sunlight coming from the right and the wind blowing from the left coalesce in the centre of the image to form a swirling vortex. The figure of the painter’s young son is hidden behind a rise in the ground, balancing the composition and creating a sense of depth. The brevity of the moment is conveyed within spontaneous brushwork and splashes of vibrant colours which are the hallmark of impressionist style.
It is always a challenge to paint with embroidery threads, and it took several trials and revisions of colour palettes and embroidery details before the final artwork was created. Top quality embroidery threads give the art piece a life of its own, a deep tactile quality. The thread colour palette was used to its full potential.
Contrast between smooth sky and defined colourful details of the woman and the boy are achieved with hand stitching of the smallest intricacies. The image comes to life with embroidered grass, a special care being taken on individual blades of grass waving in the wind to ensure that the piece is rich and vibrant in colours and at the same time lifelike in movement depicted.
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