2015/04/27 by Anna M. Gruener · 1 citation
Neuroscience · Arts and Humanities · #Hallucinations in medical conditions #History of Medicine Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.3399/bjgp15x684949
openalex publication_date 2015/04/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/09
The French impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926) is best remembered for the iconic paintings of his garden and water lily pond in Giverny (Figures In his 60s, Monet started to develop bilateral age-related cataracts (or nuclear sclerosis), which would eventually affect his work dramatically. In 1913, Monet travelled to London to consult the German ophthalmologist Richard Liebreich, who had been appointed chair of ophthalmology at St Thomas' Hospital. ] By 1914-1915, he began to struggle quite severely, complaining that 'colours no longer had the same intensity for me', that 'reds had begun to look muddy' and that 'my painting was getting more and more darkened.' 4 To avoid choosing the wrong colours, Monet started to label his tubes of paint and keep a strict order on his palette. Glare from bright sunlight complicated things further forcing Monet to wear a big straw hat outside (Figure His brush strokes became broader and his paintings, like his cataracts, more brunescent.