À propos de l’œuvre
Église de Vernon, Fog, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1894 · Rosengart · W1391
The Church of Vernon, fog W1391hand painted reproduction
The Notre-Dame de Vernon collegiate church barely emerges from a blue-green fog. The bank, the trees and their reflection blend into the same clear envelope, while the church tower remains the only vertical landmark. Monet makes the humidity of the air felt by bringing the values together rather than detailing the monument.
Look at the work
A church almost absorbed by the fog, whose silhouette extends silently into the Seine
The collegiate church is located to the left of the center and its tower exceeds a very low bank line. On the right, the trees form a diffuse mass which is reflected in the water. The Seine occupies almost half of the canvas, allowing the reflection to become as important as the building itself.
Celadon blues, gray greens and pale yellows remain very close in brightness. The contours disappear, but the tower, the roof and some trees are distinguished by slight temperature differences. The horizontal streaks of the water are more noticeable than the touches of the sky and prevent the two areas from merging.
W1391 shows that fog is not a veil placed over the landscape: it becomes the very substance that connects the church, the bank and the river.
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 version precisely identified in Vernon's series
Monet painted several views very close to the collegiate church in 1894. This canvas is the Wildenstein 1391 version of the Rosengart Collection; its cold dominant, its clear reflection and the date 93 inscribed at the bottom right allow it to be distinguished from W1390 kept at the Shelburne Museum.
A date entered that does not correspond to the year of execution
The Rosengart Collection specifies that the work was painted in 1894 but dated 1893 by Monet. The file retains the two pieces of information: the year of execution documented and the inscription visible on the canvas.
Light constructed by very small gaps
No area is downright white or black. The depth depends on subtle passages between blue, green, mauve and cream. The painter responsible for reproduction must respect these reduced gaps so that the church appears without becoming too clear.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The single reference image measures 1,600 × 1,132 px. It remains at its native definition and has been converted into a real WebP, without artificial enlargement.
The tower on the left facing a long mass of trees
The vertical of the church organizes the composition, while the bank stretches to the right. The reflection descends in these forms, widened and fragmented by the surface of the Seine.
Celadon blue, gray green, cream and mauve
The cold palette receives some very pale yellow touches. These warm notes give light to the fog without creating visible sunlight or artificial contrast.
A fine frame visible in the clearest passages
Photographic reproduction allows the grain of the canvas and thin layers to be read. The oil copy must preserve this lightness, especially in the sky and the reflection, rather than thickening the entire surface.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These landmarks relate exactly to The Church of Vernon, fog from the Rosengart Collection, Wildenstein catalog 1391.
Rosengart Collection, W1391
This oil on canvas measures approximately 65 × 92 cm. It belongs to the series of views of the Notre-Dame de Vernon collegiate church executed from the other bank of the Seine.
Painted in 1894, signed 93
The Rosengart notice explicitly points out this difference. Monet brought the date 93 close to his signature, although research places the execution in 1894.
The reflection as a second motif
The museum highlights Monet's interest in reflections in foggy weather. The church and the trees are not simply repeated in the water: their shapes widen and become more abstract.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Rosengart and Wildenstein 1391 version
- The distinction between execution in 1894 and date 93 inscribed
- The readable tower without hard outline
- The very close blues and greens preserved in the fog and reflection
Work sheet
| Title | The Church of Vernon, fog W1391 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1894, dated 1893 by Monet |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65 × 92 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Sammlung Rosengart Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 1391 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Celadon blue, gray green, cream, mauve and bluish gray make up a very soothing reproduction. It matches light walls, natural oak and unbleached textiles in a quiet bedroom, office or living room.
