Monet: Shadow and Light presents a rich portrayal of the trials of a struggling but stubborn Claude Monet and how a boy with budding talent shows him the importance of family. Set in 1869, five years before the Impressionist movement was recognized, 29 year-old Monet paints his view of the world while trying to support his young family with his art. Settling on the Seine near Paris, Monet discovers landscapes and people that inspire his art. Unfortunately, he also has to deal with a lack of understanding from his father, his creditors, and especially from harsh critics whose narrow-minded attitudes thwart acceptance by the art world. Created and produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer from a screenplay by Susin Nielsen (Degrassi Junior High), Monet: Shadow and Light was shot entirely in and around Montreal. Scenes depicting the village of Saint-Michel were shot at some original 17th century houses in Montreal^Rs Cap St-Jacques. La Grenouillhre was scrupulously rebuilt in Parc Angrignon, where the narrow lake stood in for the Seine and the surrounding woods for Fontainbleu. Even Monet^Rs famous studio-boat was recreated with exact accuracy using fishermen^Rs dorys. The film follows HBO's presentations last year of Degas and the Dancer and Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist, the first two productions in THE ARTISTS' SPECIALS series. Degas and the Dancer was recently awarded the prestigious Humanitas Prize in the Children's Writing category. Future programs in the series will feature Rembrandt, Goya and Winslow Homer.
Claude Monet was nineteen years old when he left home for Paris. He was quickly disillusioned by the rigid principles of the art establishment, preferring the relaxed art classes given by Charles Gleyre, where he met Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley. They formed an immediate attachment through their intense dedication to their new art.
Between 1869 (the year the film is set) and 1874, when the first Impressionist show was received poorly by the critics, Monet, Renoir, Sisley and the other members of the Impressionist movement painted every aspect of rural and urban life. Monet's favourite locales included the Fountainbleu forest, La Grenouillhre, on the Seine and the unusual studio boat. Monet was poor and completely unaware that within these five years the Impressionist movement would evolve to its peak. Even in this "starving artist" period, Monet's paintings never became sombre. Monet finally achieved financial independence in 1890. He is best known for showing the world the fleeting effects of light and shadow. Monet is arguably the greatest of the Impressionist painters.
