À propos de l’œuvre
Deux meules, déclin du jour, automne, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Giverny · 1890 -1891 · W1270
Two millstones, decline of the day, autumn W1270hand painted reproduction
Two millstones seen at an angle stand in the fields of Giverny, the largest in the foreground and the second thrown to the left. Painted in 1890 -1891, this oil on canvas measuring 65.8 × 101 cm is kept at the Art Institute of Chicago under number 1933.444 and corresponds to Wildenstein 1270.
Look at the work
The end of the day stretches the shadows and turns the straw into embers
The large millstone almost cuts the horizon line and dominates the right half. Its rounded silhouette is not isolated: it overlaps the fields, the row of trees and the second millstone, smaller and colder, which marks the depth on the left.
The grazing light alternates reds, oranges and purples on the straw. The ground receives long lilac and blue bands, while the clear sky retains pale pinks and yellows. The complementary colors give the landscape its intensity without black outline.
In W1270, autumn is described less by the leaves than by the temperature of the light: the straw ignites, the field cools and the shadow connects the two millstones.
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 large grinding wheel that organizes the entire format
Placed on the right and slightly off-center, the main mass fixes the scale of the scene. Its volume responds to the very wide rectangle of the canvas and prevents the landscape from dispersing.
Overlapping creates depth
The small millstone, tree line and hills pass behind the main shape. These overlays are enough to build the space, even if the touch reduces the distant details.
The shadows remain colorful
Purple, blue and red-brown shape the less lit side. Monet avoids black and thus maintains the circulation of light even in the densest areas.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The sheet uses a single exact image of W1270. The real WebP measures 3,000 × 1,930 px; this resolution allows precise zoom on the streaks of the straw and the colored covers.
Respect the asymmetry of the two millstones
The large shape should remain clearly dominant and close to the right edge. Rebalancing the two volumes would cause this version to lose the diagonal movement specific to it.
Keep the streaks from the straw
Gestures follow the slope of the assembled boots and change orientation near the top. This directional structure builds volume under red and mauve variations.
Keep an end of day light
The yellows of the sky are pale, while the most intense oranges are on the millstone. A uniformly golden light would remove the contrast with the cold field.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Art Institute of Chicago documents Two millstones, decline of the day, autumn, oil on canvas from 1890 -1891, 65.8 × 101 cm, inventory 1933.444 and Wildenstein 1270.
The same pattern observed under different effects
Between 1890 and 1891, Monet painted the millstones near his property in Giverny at several hours and seasons. The stability of the subject makes the transformations of the atmosphere immediately visible.
A marine format canvas number 40
The museum's technical study identifies commercially prepared linen, with a format close to 65 × 100 cm. Wire correspondences connect this support to several other paintings by Monet.
A composition adjusted during work
Examination of the museum shows that the horizon line continues under the left millstone. Monet therefore installed or reinforced this shape after establishing certain strips of the landscape.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 1270 version
- The large red millstone placed on the right
- The second purple millstone set back
- The long blue and purple shadows of the evening
Work sheet
| Title | Two millstones, decline of the day, autumn W1270 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1890 - 1891 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65.8 × 101 cm |
| Orientation | Panoramic horizontal |
| Conservation | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Inventory | 1933.444 · Wildenstein 1270 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
The panoramic format is particularly suitable above a sofa, sideboard or bed. A cream, pale terracotta or purple gray wall and natural wood extend the autumn heat without crushing the blues of the field.
