How cataracts and light impacted his artistic vision.
The Vision of Claude Monet
When seeing the remarkable paintings of the great artist Claude Monet it’s easy to see why he has left an indelible mark on the Impressionist movement and the world. Who would ever have thought that this outstanding artist had serious problems with his vision? The truth is he suffered from nearsightedness and distressing changes in his perception of color due to cataracts. Cataracts are a clouding and/or yellowing of the clear lens of the eye. Cataracts can be caused by age but there is data to suggest that UV light exposure may be a factor. Monet an outdoor painter, suffered from severe yellowing in his lenses in his later years.
The lens of the eye focuses light, with the removal of the yellowed cataract lens, Monet’s perception of light in his right eye was altered and this is reflected in later works. Afterwards, Monet sought assistance from ophthalmologist Jacques Mawas who dispensed a pair of glass lenses created by ZEISS. These lenses were called Katral, though Monet referred to them as "Mawas", declaring them "perfect". With the new lenses Monet was finally able to see what his paintings really looked like — and he was disappointed by the dull colors he now perceived. He immediately started painting over many of his completed pictures with brighter colors — even his marvelous water lily paintings, whose freshness and clarity still enchant us to this very day.
ZEISS started producing Katral lenses for patients who had undergone cataract surgery in a complex production process in 1912. They cost the equivalent of the rent charged for a four-room luxury apartment in a major European city at the time. As a relatively affluent painter, Claude Monet was able to afford these lenses in the later years of his life. They enabled him to pursue his artistic endeavors with even more fervor and enthusiasm than ever before. He suddenly saw that the colors he had been using until then had been too dull and promptly chose brighter ones.
The good news is: we now understand the impact of UV radiation on eye health and its direct implications in the formation of cataracts and other eye diseases. With ZEISS UVProtect we can easily protect our eyes and those of our children from harmful UV radiation, thus preventing the very problems that Monet endured.
The lens of the eye focuses light, with the removal of the yellowed cataract lens, Monet’s perception of light in his right eye was altered and this is reflected in later works. Afterwards, Monet sought assistance from ophthalmologist Jacques Mawas who dispensed a pair of glass lenses created by ZEISS. These lenses were called Katral, though Monet referred to them as "Mawas", declaring them "perfect". With the new lenses Monet was finally able to see what his paintings really looked like — and he was disappointed by the dull colors he now perceived. He immediately started painting over many of his completed pictures with brighter colors — even his marvelous water lily paintings, whose freshness and clarity still enchant us to this very day.
ZEISS started producing Katral lenses for patients who had undergone cataract surgery in a complex production process in 1912. They cost the equivalent of the rent charged for a four-room luxury apartment in a major European city at the time. As a relatively affluent painter, Claude Monet was able to afford these lenses in the later years of his life. They enabled him to pursue his artistic endeavors with even more fervor and enthusiasm than ever before. He suddenly saw that the colors he had been using until then had been too dull and promptly chose brighter ones.
The good news is: we now understand the impact of UV radiation on eye health and its direct implications in the formation of cataracts and other eye diseases. With ZEISS UVProtect we can easily protect our eyes and those of our children from harmful UV radiation, thus preventing the very problems that Monet endured.
The Water Lily Pond,
1899 by Claude Monet
1899 by Claude Monet
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