Fletcher School to Host Traveling Monet Exhibit

Students at the Fletcher Elementary School will be transported to France during their first week back in the classroom this year. The school’s lobby will play host to a traveling exhibit of replica paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet, whose works bring to life everything from the lively streets of Paris to the gardens of Giverny.

The exhibit will be on display August 29 through September 2, during school hours, and consists of brightly colored images reproduced on lightweight satin fabric. Within the display are four replica paintings including the infamous Waterlilies: Morning, which measures 7 by 17 feet in its reproduced form. Other paintings scheduled to be on display include Waterlily Pond: Pink Harmony, Bathers at the Grenouillere and The Rue Montorgeiul, which measures 8 feet in length.

Born in 1840, in Paris, France, Claude Monet gained recognition as a painter after critical acclaim of an 1874 showing of his work during which a critic insultingly dubbed Monet’s painting style “Impression” because it focused more on light and form than realism. The term stuck and Monet became widely known as the Father of Impressionism. While Monet experienced a great deal of financial hardship as a new artist, more recently his paintings have sold for up to 80 million dollars and gained prominent placement is countless prestigious museums and collections.

The traveling Monet exhibit will integrated into art classes at the school and will be on display for families during the school’s annual First Day Breakfast on August 30.

The exhibit is open to the public and admittance is free of charge. For more information, contact the school at 802-849-6251.