Hegelian Analysis of Monet's "London Parliament"

Shortly after I entered the Musée d’art Moderne André Malraux in Le Havre, France, I noticed Monet’s London Parliament on the opposite end of the room. It was at some point on this day, after twenty three years of life and one week of looking at art in France, that the true potential of painting to convey something powerful was conveyed to me. It was on this day for the first time that I felt like I “unlocked” painting. It now had the same ability to affect me the way that music had my whole life. Romantic Art, in particular music and painting, gives us insight into the powerful realm of subjectivity that transcends the physical world as it “withdraws out of the external world into an existence within.” (792) This particular painting is an impressionist painting, a style that seems more equipped to draw further into inner life than those which Hegel saw and analyzed himself.  Hegel sees the strength of painting as its ability to convey “the subjectivity of mind, which with its feelings, ideas, and actions embraces the whole of heaven and Earth.” (799) London Parliament presents the truth of the power and intensity of feeling the spirit can experience and it does this by essentially placing the viewer into a first person scenario where they are experiencing a fantastic view. It is a reminder of the powerful capability that we have to experience.

Hegel talks about how painting often achieves its expression of spirit from the portrayal of humans in situations, reacting with others and their environment. In this way, paintings are a sort of portal into a world, an invitation to eavesdrop on an emotional and revealing scene. By peering into a dynamic scene of human life, we get a peek into the inner lives of those that are living the situation. By feeling these inner lives of the characters in the painting, we learn about the capabilities of our own inner life and subjectivity, we learn how to feel more ardently.

 

London Parliament features no clear situation or expressive people. It is not an invitation to view other people who are experiencing the power of the spirit, it is an invitation to experience it yourself. In this way, London Parliament and all works of impressionism seem to more directly accomplish what Hegel feels is the goal of painting. Instead of attempting to convey an experience of subjectivity, it attempts to give one. In this way, the impressionist painting seems to make the viewer a character himself. It is almost as if the impressionist painters read Hegel and devised a new school of painting to satisfy him.

Of the types of painting that Hegel discusses, this particular one is most similar to a landscape, which he thinks “corresponds to specific states of the soul.” (823) Beautiful landscapes inspire powerful states of the soul, which convey a truth of the spirit. Upon attending the first impressionist exhibition ever held in 1874, a French art critic wrote,  “I swear there's talent here, and a lot of it. These young people have a way of understanding nature that is neither dull nor banal. It's lively, nimble, light, ravishing. . . . It's admittedly sketchy, but how much of it rings true!” The impressionists are able to show nature as infused with spirit, its works are a synthesis of a scene itself and the feelings that the scene provoke. Light is a very important element in this painting. Hegel has a reverential attitude towards light, crediting it with giving the universe its ability to view and reflect on itself. Light is incredibly important to impressionists painters. Monet claimed that the light changed every seven minutes and he would often paint the same subject many times at varying times of the day and year. In fact, this painting is only one of 19 that he produced of this scene, all featuring different weather conditions and times of day. In doing this, Monet emphasizes the fact that as the light continuously changes so to does the way that we experience and perceive the world around us.

London Parliament provokes a strong spiritual response with its landscape and use of light. The building in the background is dominating and intimidating and it gives a sense of power and authority. The light is waning and obscuring the landscape, casting a sort of uncertainty over the scene. The times of day where the sun is setting or rising results in the most unique experiences of the landscape. These are reflective times, when we see usual sights “in a different light.” Looking over the Thames at the Parliament building during this dark mysterious hour fills the viewer with a unique spiritual disposition. It is a sense of awe at the dominating heights and strength of the building mixed with a sense of mystery from its shadowy appearance. The scene is dream-like, the building appears not as a detailed object, but rather a vague shadow. It moves one to feel energized, powerful, and contemplative.  It conveys the truth of how light can affect the spirit and how particular spiritual dispositions can affect our perceptions. It is a testimony to the importance and power of light in our experience of the world.