On its only London date before a second run at the Edinburgh Fringe, A Montage of Monet is written by Joan Greening and performed/directed by Stephen Smith.
Claude Monet is one of the great Impressionist painters, and this show captures a slice of his life and work in a 55-minute runtime.
It’s a very quiet and static show, with Smith seated most of the time and paintings, photographs etc displayed as a series of slides.
We start by Monet claiming a man should never “need a woman” before reflecting on his aunt’s early financial assistance. In Paris he rebels against the academic, classical style of painting and seeks a new realism.
A Montage of Monet isn’t just about one man. It is about his friends, lovers, patrons and muses. It’s a history of art presented by a tired old man who can no longer see properly but has lived long enough to see his success.
There’s a lovely passage in the play about Monet seeing the work of Turner for the first time, and wryly admitting he was inspired by him.
A throwaway line or two about women shows a faint sense of misogyny, while his wives are seen as props for his artistic, sexual or housekeeping comfort.
Greening’s words and Smith’s controlled performance make Monet a man you want to hear even if he is clearly flawed and holds a rather high opinion of himself.
His life of penury, constantly dodging creditors, contrasts with the wealth where being served the wrong table wine is a major disaster.
What comes through is the sense of personal support and professional innovation between the group of artists who came together in Paris.
The names come think and fast: Renoir, Boudin, Pissarro, Bazille. The inspiration for the term Impressionism is revealed to be the painting “Impression: Sunrise”.
This is a very competent and small-scale glimpse into one human soul who left his mark through the images he created and the life he experienced.
It could grow in scale with larger backdrops or lighting cues – it feels a little lost at some points on such a large stage – but it is a pleasant and engrossing hour.
3.5 stars.
A Montage of Monet was on for one night in London but can be seen at the Edinburgh Fringe from 18-23 Aug.