À propos de l’œuvre
Montagne de Kolsås, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1895 · Nasjonalmuseet NMK.DEP.2019.0010 · W1407
Mount Kolsås, Nasjonalmuseet W1407hand painted reproduction
Mount Kolsås stands like an almost black mass above a wide field of light blue snow. Monet simplifies the relief into two rounded peaks and a long compact forest, then lets the pink, yellow and turquoise sky lighten the whole. The W1407 composition is stronger and more contrasted than several other variants in the series.
Look at the work
A dark and compact mountain emerges between a pastel sky and luminous snow
The silhouette of Kolsås occupies the entire median width. The main summit is on the right, a second lower relief responds to the left. Purple and blue bands suggest rock and snow without detailing the geology.
The forest forms an almost continuous fringe at the foot of the massif. The foreground, much lighter, contains some dark touches and blue-gray passages. The sky warms the landscape with very pale pinks and yellows.
Monet does not seek topographical precision: he opposes three densities - sky, mountain and snow - to render the presence of Kolsås.
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 series painted in Bærum in 1895
From the Sandvika region, Monet returns to Kolsås in different times. The repetition of the pattern allows him to measure variations in snow, mist and northern light.
A very assertive mass relationship
The dark massif weighs in the center, while the sky and the foreground breathe around it. This opposition must remain strong without transforming the forest into a uniform black band.
The mountain shaped by color
Overseas blue, purple, dark green and cool pink describe the slopes. The visible touches give the top its material; smoothing them would cause it to lose its vibration and relief.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The single reference image measures 3,840 × 2,492 px. It comes from Nasjonalmuseet and was reduced from a larger source, then encoded in WebP without any enlargement.
Two asymmetrical vertices
The main relief is located on the right and dominates a shoulder lower on the left. Their gap gives the Kolsås its recognizable silhouette and must be preserved in all formats.
Midnight blue, snow pink and black green
The palette is based on very different values but linked colors. The pink of the sky returns to the snow and certain purples of the massif, which avoids a cut that is too hard.
A forest painted by short impasto
The foot of the mountain is constructed by vertical and oblique markings. Their irregularity suggests trees while maintaining continuity of mass.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These references concern the canvas exhibited at Nasjonalmuseet under the number NMK.DEP.2019.0010 and cataloged Wildenstein 1407.
Nasjonalmuseet NMK.DEP.2019.0010, W1407
This oil on canvas from 1895 measures 65.4 × 100.5 cm. The museum catalogs it as a view of Kolsås, in Bærum, and specifies the Norwegian motif Kolsåstoppen.
Loan from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB
The work belongs to the Fine Art Collections of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB and has been deposited at the Nasjonalmuseet since 2019.
A darker variation of the massif
W1407 is distinguished from misty or pink versions by the blue-black density of the mountain and the forest. The pastel sky and the clear foreground reinforce its monumentality.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version NMK.DEP.2019.0010, Wildenstein 1407
- The original horizontal ratio of 65.4 × 100.5 cm
- The asymmetry of the two peaks and the forest strip
- The dark mountain balanced by pastel skies and bluish snow
Work sheet
| Title | Mount Kolsås, Nasjonalmuseet W1407 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1895 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65.4 × 100.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Nasjonalmuseet, loan from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, Oslo, Norway |
| Inventory | NMK.DEP.2019.0010 · Wildenstein 1407 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Midnight blue, fir green, cold pink, ivory and snow blue give this reproduction a calm strength. Its horizontal format is suitable for a living room, office or bedroom with natural materials.
