Claude Monet - Sainte-Adresse [1867]

Claude Monet - Sainte-Adresse [1867], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

In stylistic terms, this painting is consistent with the seascapes Monet produced during the summer and fall of 1867. There is a new awareness of the particular atmospheric character of the scene, reflecting Monet's growing acuity as a landscape painter. The overcast day is skillfully captured through the grayish tonalities of the sky, the water, and the beach. A stronger emphasis is also given to the paint surface, with rapidly applied touches of colour that help characterize rather than carefully delineate the scene. The relative simplicity of the composition, the elimination of detail, and the fresh, varied quality of the brushwork all suggest that this painting may have been executed at least in part on site rather than entirely in the studio.

[National Gallery of Art, Washington - Oil on canvas, 57 x 80 cm]