Shadows on the Sea. The Cliffs at Pourville, Claude Monet (1882)
In his treatment of the sea surface Monet’s Impressionist technique can be seen fully developed. Shadows, reflections and movements are depicted in a series of short, curved brushstrokes in pure, unmixed pigments. If one examines the painting from a distance while peering with half-open eyes, the elements flow together into an optic unity and the painting’s surface seems almost to vibrate – precisely as on a hot summer day by the sea, where the surface of the water is broken by the wind to become a million small, flashing mirrors. It is this impression Monet wishes to convey, just as he experienced it that day on the cliffs at Pourville in 1882.
