![]() If you strip away the colors and make a black and white copy of the painting, the sun almost completely disappears. One of the most remarkable facts about Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet is that the brightness of the sun is equal to that of the sky. The loose brushstrokes that defined the style of the Impressionists diminish the boundaries between objects. Your attention is instantly drawn toward the sun, an element that appears to be the brightest feature in the entire composition.ĭespite being such a bright source of light, it’s hard to differentiate the sky from the sea and the details are barely visible as well. The sun is rising as the viewer gazes upon a hazy view of the port of Le Havre. ![]() The sun in the painting isn’t the brightest element A view of the port of Le Havre in modern times / Philippe Alès / Wiki Commons 3. You can see two small rowboats in the foreground, some larger fishing boats in the middle of the painting, and large clipper ships with tall masts in the background. The Seine River and its location on the English Channel turned the port of Le Havre into a thriving commercial center following the Franco-Prussian War, and Monet captured the activity of the city’s port in the early morning. With a population of approximately 170,000 inhabitants today, it’s the largest city in the Upper Normandy region in the northwest of France. The name of this city translates to “The Harbour” or “The Port” and it’s located on the right bank of the Seine River. The painting depicts a hazy view of the port of Monet’s hometownĬlaude Monet was born in Paris but his family moved to the French port city of Le Havre. Full view of the painting / Wiki Commons 2. He painted Impression, Sunrise shortly after in the year 1872. He moved to Argenteuil in 1871 where he produced a series of poppy fields and Impressionist paintings of his wife and son during their walks in the area around their house. The Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870 and the French artist exiled himself and his family to London where he met some more influential artists, including the famous American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler. ![]() He met several of his future colleagues while studying in Paris in the late 1850s and his career started to take off in the 1860s. It was painted in the early 1870sĬlaude Monet painted one of his most important works over 2 decades after he entered the Le Havre secondary school of the arts. ![]() The small, short, dot-like brush strokes allow Monet to quickly capture this changing scene and give us an even greater sense that the moment is not permanent.8. The ships in the background create a sense of depth for us, while the fact that we can't really make out the people on the boats in the foreground adds to this idea that the painting is supposed to be an impression of how the port feels in the morning and not an actual representation of the port on any given day. The emissions of the factories, ships, and machinery mix with the early rays of the sun to generate a sort of beauty that is “both surprising and seductive.” Cranes and heavy machinery can be detected to the right side of the painting. To the left of the center of the canvas, a four-masted clipper ship enters the harbor while smoke-stacks of steamboats fill the atmosphere. Numerous vertical elements can be found throughout this hazy landscape. This usage of a noticeably bright color draws attention to the main focus of the painting, the sun. Monet incorporates a palette of mostly cool, dull colors into the painting with blues and grays, but also includes splashes of warm colors noticed in the sky and the red-orange sun. The shadows of the boats and figures and the reflection of the sun's rays can be seen on the water's surface. The early morning sun is depicted rising over the foggy harbour with ships and other various boats at port. Slightly below the center of the painting, a small rowboat with two indistinct figures floats in the bay. The imagery of this work of art presents a focus on the calm feeling of a misty maritime scene. The most significant aspect of the painting is its credit with giving the Impressionist Movement its name. Widely regarded as Monet's single most famous painting, Impression, Sunrise was completed during the late nineteenth century in 1872.
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