View of Vernon, Claude Monet (1886)
From 1883 until his death in 1926, the Impressionist Claude Monet lived in Giverny, where he painted his Kaystacks series and also painted the nearby village of Vernon. About 50 miles from Paris, this town represented the unchanged countryside, a refuge from the drastically renovated and industrialized city of Paris. Specific light and weather were important to Monet, who painted quickly with broken brushstrokes to evoke the changing impression of the landscape. The grey sky and leafless poplar indicate early spring. Monet made many views of Vernon that show the recognizable tall church that towers over the landscape, even the distant hills.
