Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection

Download or read book Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection written by Steven Zalman Levine and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steven Z. Levine provides a new understanding of the life and work of Claude Monet and the myth of the modern artist. Levine analyzes the extensive critical reception of Monet and the artist's own prolific writings in the context of the story of Narcissus, popular in late nineteenth-century France. Through a careful blending of psychoanalytical theory and historical study, Levine identifies narcissism and obsession as driving forces in Monet's art and demonstrates how we derive meaning from the accumulated verbal responses to an artist's work.