À propos de l’œuvre
Falaises près de Pourville, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Pourville · 1882 · W788
Cliffs near Pourville W788hand painted reproduction
A chalk cliff rises almost vertically above the beach, its yellow and orange vegetation struck by the morning sun while long blue shadows remain at the foot of the rock. Painted in 1882, this 60.4 × 80.9 cm oil on canvas is kept at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe under number 0923 and corresponds to Wildenstein 788.
Look at the work
The rising sun divides the cliff between a golden ridge and deep blue shadows
The rock enters from the left edge, hollows out then forms a high wall which closes almost two thirds of the composition. To the right, a narrow strip of sea and sky suddenly opens up the space beyond the promontory.
Yellow, orange, pink and red heat the vegetation and chalk, while blue, purple and green descend in long touches into the shadows. The clear sky, punctuated by cream clouds, accentuates the colorful mass of the cliff.
The cliff appears motionless, but its shadows tell the story of time: their position preserves the trace of a rising sun while Monet works.
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 deliberately monumental wall
The framing cuts the cliff on the left and denies it any panoramic retreat. The viewer finds himself at the foot of the relief, facing its verticality and its material.
Yellow made brighter by blue
The warm crest directly touches the blue sky. This complementary contrast intensifies both colors without the need to add pure whites.
Repentances visible in the shadows
The museum observes that the dark blue band of the surf marks a once longer shadow. Monet therefore adjusts the canvas as the morning light shifts.
Reference image
Read this specific version
Only one exact image of W788 is used throughout the file. The real WebP measures 1,920 × 1,427 px and comes directly from the image published by the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, without artificial enlargement.
Maintain precise breakout of the top
The irregular profile of the cliff and the small overhang on the right identify W788. Simplifying it would cause the character of the site to be lost.
Preserve the blue shadows at the foot of the rock
They should remain deep but colorful. Replacing them with black would cut the cliff beach and crush the light.
Keep the pink and non-beige beach uniform
Pink, blue and cream touches connect the sand to the sky and the rock. Their optical mixture animates the foreground.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Rijksmuseum Twenthe preserves Cliffs near Pourville, oil on canvas from 1882, 60.4 × 80.9 cm, inventory 0923 and Wildenstein 788.
Painted in Pourville during the summer of 1882
Monet returns to the Normandy coast and works directly in front of the cliffs, looking for differences in light between morning, evening and overcast days.
Yellow vegetation under the morning sun
The museum notice emphasizes the meeting of the golden summit with the blue sky, a contrast which increases the luminosity of the composition.
Shadow position changes during execution
The dark blue area near the surf indicates that the shadow of the wall was initially painted longer, before shortening with the rising sun.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 788 version
- The high wall on the left
- The yellow and orange crest
- The blue shadows receding on the beach
Work sheet
| Title | Cliffs near Pourville W788 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1882 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60.4 × 80.9 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, Netherlands |
| Inventory | 0923 · Wildenstein 788 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This bright cliff is suitable for a living room, entrance or office. A gray blue, soft ocher or warm white wall and a natural setting emphasize its contrast.
