À propos de l’œuvre
Chevaux à la pointe de la Hève, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Horses, cars and pebbles on the Normandy coast · Private collection
Horses at the tip of the Hève W40hand painted reproduction
Under a heavy sky, horses pull carriages through the pebbles and puddles left by the tide. The high cliff closes the horizon to the right, while the rough sea opens the composition to the left. Painted directly on the motif during the summer of 1864, this study captures the daily work of the coast with a freedom of touch which already announces Monet's impressionist research.
Look at the work
The passage of horses transforms a pebble beach into a working landscape
Two teams are distributed in the lower half of the canvas. The one on the left advances in the shallow water; in the center, the horses stand out among the wet rocks. A man standing on the right completes this series of figures and gives the scale of the cliff.
The coast rises to the right in brown, green and chalky strata. Above, blue-gray clouds accumulate in large horizontal movements, interrupted by some clearings. The sea, puddles and foam take on these cold tones without merging with the sky.
The scene remains solidly constructed, but the free matter of clouds, foam and pebbles already makes each surface a changing effect of light.
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 depth organized by three trajectories
The shore line, the groynes of wood and the foot of the cliff converge towards the same distance. The teams are placed on this network of diagonals and actually appear to cross space.
A sky that gives tension to the landscape
The bluish grays darken above the cliff and lighten near the horizon. This variation makes you feel unstable weather and reinforces the white flashes deposited on the water and pebbles.
An outdoor study linked to a living room painting
The Sotheby's notice presents this canvas as a composition painted on site during the summer of 1864. Monet used it to prepare a larger version, La Pointe de la Hève at low tide, completed in the workshop then exhibited at the Salon of 1865.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The visual reproduces Horses at the Pointe de la Hève, signed and dated 1864, cataloged Wildenstein 40. The high definition file is a real WebP of 2,880 × 2,005 px.
The pebbles alternate cold and hot values
Blues, grays, ochres and whites are laid in distinct touches. Their variety must remain visible in order to restore the irregular and moist soil without flattening it into a uniform range.
Horses remain integrated into the landscape
Their silhouettes are precise just enough to distinguish body, legs and harness. The contours, however, mingle with the cars and the reflections, which retains the sensation of movement.
The cliff is built in superimposed planes
The dark foot, earthy slopes and chalky ridges do not receive the same light. This progression gives volume to the relief while letting the sky dominate.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Painted in 1864, this oil on canvas measures 54 × 73.5 cm. It belongs to a private collection and bears number 40 of the Wildenstein catalog.
A painting made on the motif during the summer of 1864
Monet then worked outdoors alongside Johan Barthold Jongkind. The direct construction of this study preserves the variations in sky, sea and shore observed during the session.
Preparing La Pointe de la Hève at low tide
Returning to Paris during the winter of 1864 -1865, Monet developed a large related composition now kept at the Kimbell Art Museum. His admission to the Salon of 1865 marked an important step at the start of his career.
A work formerly preserved by Léon Monet
The provenance published by Sotheby's places it around 1910 in the collection of Léon Monet, the painter's older brother. It then passes through several private collections and the Wildenstein gallery.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Keep the three diagonals that lead towards the tip.
- Differentiate the two teams without hardening their contours.
- Vary the pebbles with cold, ocher touches.
- Preserve the moving density of the storm sky.
Work sheet
| Title | Horses at the tip of the Hève W40 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1864 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 54 × 73.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Private collection, Non-public place of conservation |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 40 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This navy is suitable for a living room, office or entrance. A smoky oak, slate gray or matte bronze frame underlines its strength; a linen, mist blue or stone beige wall reveals the nuances of the cliff and the sky.
