À propos de l’œuvre
Bateaux de pêche en mer, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · The dark sails off the coast of Étretat · Hill-Stead Museum
W126 sea fishing boatshand painted reproduction
Two fishing sailboats advance on a deep green sea, their brown, almost black sails cut out against a late day sky. A third boat appears further to the left. Between the gray clouds and the orange horizon, Monet makes light a thin strip which simultaneously reveals the distance, the wind and the weight of the boats.
Look at the work
Dark veils pass through a twilight light
The nearest boat is to the left of the center and shows its red-brown hull above the waves. Its large triangular sail rises to the clear sky. A second, smaller sailboat heads to the right and immediately makes the distance noticeable.
The sky is made up of long purple and gray clouds which allow a few cream bands to pass through. On the horizon, an orange-pink line separates the air from the sea. Green water has short white touches around the nearby hull.
A simple hot line on the horizon is enough to push the sea back behind the compact silhouettes of the boats.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A depth constructed by the difference in scale
The nearby sailboat occupies a large area, the second is reduced by half and the distant sail almost becomes a sign. This progression replaces a drawn perspective.
Sails as large geometric shapes
Their dark triangles stabilize a very mobile sea surface. However, thin masts and ropes prevent them from becoming flat without volume.
A dull palette crossed by light
Deep greens, browns and purples dominate. The rare whites of the waves and the pink band of the horizon thus gain a particular intensity.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The unique reference corresponds to Sea Fishing Boats, Wildenstein 126, kept at the Hill-Stead Museum. The best exact document available measures 800 × 592 px; it was converted to WebP without artificial enlargement.
The main sail is not uniform black
Brown, dark greens and gray reflections indicate its tension and orientation in the wind.
The nearby shell retains a red stripe
This warm tone distinguishes it from water without breaking the twilight atmosphere.
Waves remain brief and irregular
Their clear touches especially surround the main boat. They should not cover the entire sea on a regular basis.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
This 94.8 × 128.9 cm oil on canvas, dated 1868, is kept at the Hill-Stead Museum and identified as Wildenstein 126.
Three navies dedicated to fleets
At the end of 1868, Monet painted several fishing boats leaving the coast of Étretat. The catalog raisonné brings together this research around Wildenstein numbers 124 to 126.
A navy of ambitious dimensions
At almost 129 cm wide, the painting exceeds the format of a quick study. Monet gives working sailboats a presence comparable to that of large navies intended for exhibitions.
Alfred Atmore Pope's Choice
Collector Alfred Pope purchased Fishing Boats at Sea during a trip to Europe in 1894. The work remains at Hill-Stead, a house museum designed by his daughter, architect Theodate Pope Riddle.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Maintain the progress of the three boats.
- Preserve the thin pink stripe of the horizon.
- Vary browns and greens in dark veils.
- Concentrate the foam around the nearest boat.
Work sheet
| Title | W126 sea fishing boats |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1868 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 94.8 × 128.9 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, Connecticut, United States |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 126 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This large navy goes well with a living room, office or dining room. A patinated black, red-brown or smoked wood frame highlights the sails; a light wall highlights the warm strip of the horizon.
