Sir, - In reply to Frank McNally on modern painting (Weekend June 27th), Monet did in fact suffer from a visual defect in his later years, bilateral cataracts in fact. The effect of this disability on his work is most strikingly evident if one compares his earlier renditions of the famous Japanese garden bridge with later paintings of the same series.
The colours are stronger and more vibrant, the style is looser and the overall result is that the paintings are muddier and more sloppy yet freer, buoyant and more joyful than much of his earlier work. - Yours, etc., Eoin Dunlea
Foxrock, Dublin 18.