Cliff Walk at Pourville

Claude Monet, 1882

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Compare the short strokes in the grass, the women’s clothes, and the sea: a similar rhythm runs through all three.

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This apparently fleeting coastal scene developed over several painting sessions. Technical examination shows that Monet first laid in the horizon almost four inches (about 10 cm) higher before revising the composition, revealing the careful decisions behind its breezy appearance.

Oil on canvas · 66.5 × 82.3 cm · Art Institute of Chicago · Impressionism

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Details and source

Museum title: Cliff Walk at Pourville
Artist: Claude Monet
Date: 1882
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66.5 × 82.3 cm (26 1/8 × 32 7/16 in.)
Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection
Image license: CC0 1.0 · Public domain
Museum record: Art Institute of Chicago

Artist’s life 1840–1926

Impressionism c. 1860–1900

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Galler’s rooms and hanging scale are imagined. The image is the museum’s original digital reproduction.