À propos de l’œuvre
Une pile de blé (déjeuner, coucher du soleil, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Giverny · 1890 -1891 · W1284
Grindstone, thaw, setting sun W1284hand painted reproduction
A dark millstone stands in a field where the snow melts under the last pink, yellow and blue glow of the day. Painted in 1890 -1891, this 64.4 × 92.5 cm oil on canvas is kept at the Art Institute of Chicago under number 1983.166 and corresponds to Wildenstein 1284.
Look at the work
Thawing transforms snow into a mirror of the setting sun
The single millstone occupies the center left and stands out in front of a strip of hills. Its broad base sinks into the humid field, while its conical summit crosses the horizon. A second low mass appears on the right, almost absorbed by the landscape.
The snow mixes pink, orange, blue and purple, reflected colors of a sun located outside the frame. The top of the millstone remains warm, but its front becomes red-brown and purple. A narrow yellow band above the hills concentrates evening light.
In W1284, the sun is not represented: its presence can be read in the colored snow, the yellow line of the horizon and the red embers of the millstone.
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 silhouette crossing the horizon
The conical summit stands out against the sky, unlike several winter views where the millstones remain enclosed between the strips of the field and the hills.
The thaw rendered by color
The ground surface is neither white nor uniform. Touches of pink, orange and blue make you feel wet snow which reflects the sky and already lets the earth reappear.
A balance without symmetry
The large off-center grinding wheel is compensated by the small mass on the right and by the long luminous line of the sunset. The format breathes despite the weight of the main pattern.
Reference image
Read this specific version
Only one exact image of W1284 is used. The real WebP measures 3,000 × 2,090 px and allows you to observe the colored keys of the thaw without artificial enlargement.
Preserve the dark mass of the grinding wheel
It should not become a flat brown. Red, purple, blue and orange overlap in the shadows and build a volume still crossed by light.
Keep the snow multi-colored
Pink and blue passages are essential for the thawing effect. Pure white that covers too much would remove reflections and unity with the sky.
Keep the yellow stripe very narrow
The clearest light remains concentrated near the horizon. Spreading it throughout the sky would cause you to lose the precise sensation of a day coming to an end.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Art Institute of Chicago documents Grindstone, thaw, setting sun, oil on canvas from 1890 -1891, 64.4 × 92.5 cm, inventory 1983.166 and Wildenstein 1284.
Grinding wheels as a measure of time
Monet works simultaneously on several canvases in front of the millstones of Giverny, then resumes their harmonies in the workshop. The stable pattern makes the seasons and times comparable.
A series revealed by Durand-Ruel in 1891
Fifteen Meules were brought together in the same room in May 1891. The critical and commercial success of this presentation marked a major step in Monet's career.
A prepared linen in landscape format number 30
The museum's technical study identifies a commercial canvas whose frame corresponds to several other supports used by Monet, a sign of work carried out in a group.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 1284 version
- The single millstone that crosses the horizon
- The pink and blue snow of the thaw
- The yellow line of the sunset behind the hills
Work sheet
| Title | Grindstone, thaw, setting sun W1284 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1890 - 1891 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 64.4 × 92.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Inventory | 1983.166 · Wildenstein 1284 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This harmony of powder pink, blue gray and red brown is suitable for a bedroom, living room or office. A greige, pale purple or warm white wall and medium wood prolong the atmosphere without weakening the silhouette.
