Claude Monet
(French, 1840 – 1926)



Fishing Boats at Sea, 1868, is the earliest Monet painting in Hill-Stead’s collection, though it is the last work by this artist that Alfred Pope bought. Monet painted the scene out of doors, or en plein air, and captured the orange sky of early morning or dusk. His loose brushwork, use of clear, fresh color, and depiction of light prefigure his later Impressionist works. With Fishing Boats at Sea, Monet pays homage to Édouard Manet, who painted similar boating scenes.

Monet is famous for his serial haystack or grainstack paintings, executed in his rural Giverny backyard. The two in Hill-Stead’s collection exemplify his study of the effect of changing light and season on a single subject. In Grainstacks, White Frost Effect, a cool, pastel palette and rosy hues depict dawn in late autumn. With Grainstacks, in Bright Sunlight, the artist paints the same scene at mid-day in summer. Here, his color selection is warm and intense.

View of Cap d’Antibes was Alfred Pope’s first Monet, purchased while he was on the Grand Tour 1888 – 1889. It was a logical choice, since the Popes had just toured Antibes in the south of France. Monet created about 12 different views of Antibes and the surrounding countryside. In the series he grappled with capturing atmospheric effects while retaining the purity and brilliance of color, as in this sun drenched landscape.