Stacks of Wheat, (Sunset, Snow Effect), Monet

   Here we are in the darkest and shortest days of the year and I give you a beautiful sunset image celebrating this season.  Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) painted it as part of a large series he did from 1890-91, this one completed in 1891.  Stacks of Wheat, (Sunset, Snow Effect) is the title.  It is an oil on canvas measuring 26" x 40", part of the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, which owns the most of the haystack series.  I am not certain how many paintings Monet did as part of this series, but Monet showed 15 in a Paris gallery in 1891, an exhibit that was a major art and financial success, establishing Monet as a French painting master.
    Monet didn't have to travel far to find a field of haystacks, for they stood just outside his farm home in Giverny, in a province of Normandy, north of Paris.  In this northern area, Monet experienced all four seasons of the year, all portrayed in this haystack series.  Not only was the season important in this series, but also the time of day.  Monet was the true Impressionist, an artist painting light.  So here we see how winter sunset illuminates the landscape.
   As we have seen in other paintings, this is again, a complementary color harmony, using primarily blue and orange.  Some writers have suggested these haystacks were a symbol of sustenance and survival to Monet, which certainly maybe true.
   So now in the dark of winter, do take time, as Monet did, to see the beauty in the evening light.  Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.

Comments

  1. charguthDecember 27, 2019 at 1:19 PM

    The brilliant sunset certainly warms this winter scene with the snow reflecting all the colors. There is always something new to observe in his simple paintings such as how he suggested the buildings in the distance. He uses the color harmony so expertly. It's such a soft winter landscape, unlike our harsh Minnesota. I love the idea of sustenance and survival. Lovely painting.

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