Monet

Art historian Crespelle begins by quoting Paul Cezanne on the subject of this book: ""Monet is just an eye.'' The rest of Crespelle's essay is just as energetic and surprisinghe apologizes for the fact that ``Monet made love only with his brush.'' Further, the author shows that Monet was an extremely sensitive man who, nonetheless, was ``tenacious and determined'' and could paint ``out-of-doors in winter snow.'' There are photos of the artist at his beloved Giverny, and portraits of him by Manet and Renoir. Things sour a bit, however, in the body of the book, which includes dulled, off-key reproductions of Monet's works, starting with The Cart (1865). Still, thoughtful captions accompany each picture, and even the bad color quality can't obscure the glories of Grand Canal, Venice. (December)