Claude Monet Notebook (Cahier Claude Monet)

When Bourdelle set about classifying his archives, he organised some of them into 20 “canvas storage boxes”. These boxes were covered in thick beige fabric and contained about a hundred notebooks.
Notebook 7B was devoted to the painter Claude Monet. It contains a collection of letters and press cuttings that document their relationship and plans for a bust sculpted by Bourdelle.
During the two days following Monet's death – on 8 and 9 December 1926 – Bourdelle made two ink and watercolour sketches on the cover of this notebook. They depict Monet fighting death, with brush and palette in hand.
One of the drawings is annotated to reveal the artist's thoughts: “Claude Monet painting as the sun goes down. Thought born first by the bust – leaning forward in the eternal battle – eyes half-closed – brush groping – in the space that must be painted. The whole man, palette held tight to the body, the painter with the dying sun behind his work and painting in front of this death in an attempt to eternalise the twilight.” (Translated from French)

Claire Boisserolles