À propos de l’œuvre
La chasse, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · An avenue in the Sénart forest in autumn · Museum of Hunting and Nature
The W433 Hunthand painted reproduction
Three hunters advance on an alley covered in leaves, between high trunks which almost close the sky. The character in the foreground turns around, rifle in hand, while the game placed at the side of the path inscribes the action in a hunting scene. Monet here adapts his outdoor painting to a large decorative format commissioned for a private home.
Look at the work
A walk in the undergrowth takes on the height of a setting
The path rises slightly from the foreground and narrows towards a lighter opening. Thin, almost parallel trunks punctuate both sides of the path. Their verticality naturally extends the format and gives the wood an unusual elevation in Monet.
The nearest hunter wears a blue-gray jacket and a dark cap. Two smaller companions sink behind him. At the bottom of the canvas, a hare and slaughtered birds form a discreet group among the red leaves.
The silhouettes do not dominate the forest: the perspective of the path and the repetition of the trunks absorb them in an autumn 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.
An aisle as a depth axis
The clear path, framed by vegetation, leads to the bottom gap. The three figures gradually decrease and reinforce this depth.
Verticals adapted to the large panel
The trunks cross almost the entire height. They organize the decorative format without becoming a regular grid, because their inclinations and spacing vary.
A very nuanced autumn range
Ochres, reds, dull greens and blue grays mingle on the ground and in the foliage. The cold accents of the first hunter prevent the whole thing from becoming uniformly brown.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The unique reference reproduces Wildenstein version 433 of the Museum of Hunting and Nature. The available document measures 802 × 1024 px; it has been preserved at its original definition and converted to WebP without artificial enlargement.
The first hunter is off-center
Placed in the right half, it lets the path develop to the left and avoids blocking the depth.
The floor concentrates warm colors
The red and orange leaves become denser in the foreground, while the background becomes paler and greener.
Game remains integrated into the landscape
The light hare and birds occupy the lower edge. Their modest scale preserves the primacy of the forest.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Dated 1876, this oil on canvas measuring 173 × 140 cm is classified Wildenstein 433 and kept at the Museum of Hunting and Nature.
A setting for Ernest Hoschedé
The collector and merchant Ernest Hoschedé invited Monet to Montgeron in 1876 and commissioned four large panels for him intended for the Château de Rottembourg. The Hunt belongs to this ensemble.
The Sénart forest
The subject is linked to the neighboring woods of Montgeron, particularly to the forest of Sénart. Monet thus associates an aristocratic leisure activity with the landscape actually observed around the property.
Four monumental landscapes
Montgeron's panels show Monet's ability to maintain a lively touch on very large formats. After the dispersion of the Hoschedé collection, the works followed different trajectories.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Respect the vertical format and the climb of the aisle.
- Vary the trunks without mechanical regularity.
- Distinguish the three hunters by scale and color.
- Keep game discreet in the leaves in the foreground.
Work sheet
| Title | The W433 Hunt |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1876 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 173 × 140 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Museum of Hunting and Nature, Paris, France |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 433 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
The vertical format and woody palette are suitable for an entrance, bookcase or high wall. A walnut, dark green or weathered brown frame accompanies the depth of the forest and the tones of autumn.
