À propos de l’œuvre
Le lac, l'effet de la neige, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Walkers, pond and snow in the Argenteuil sun · Museum Barberini
La Mare, snow effect W350hand painted reproduction
A pale blue pond occupies the bottom of the canvas, surrounded by grass and earth partially covered with snow. Beyond, several walkers cross open ground in front of the Argenteuil houses, while large bare trees structure the scene. Monet transforms winter white into a luminous mosaic of blue, purple, yellow, orange and green, observed under a mid-day sun.
Look at the work
The pond, the trees and the silhouettes divide an expanse of snow crossed by colors
The water surface appears in the foreground as a cold, almost horizontal area. On its edges, snow reveals tufts of grass, ocher earth and blue shadows. A large tree placed to the right of the center rises out of the frame; its branches extend above the walkers.
The small blue, green and red figures are distributed across the snowy terrain. Behind them, houses, walls and roofs are bathed in a pale yellow light. The large cold areas of the sky and snow are constantly awakened by warm accents, without any color remaining isolated.
Snow does not reduce the palette: it makes the relationships between each complement and each change of light more visible.
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 composition organized around a central tree
The main trunk divides the field without completely cutting it. Its branches join those of the side trees, while the figures and houses create a series of horizontal accents that balance this powerful verticality.
Complementary colors in winter light
The Museum Barberini notice emphasizes the orange-blue and yellow-purple pairs. Juxtaposed in small touches, they give shine to the snow and make the sun smell without resorting to strong black shadows.
A daily scene near the home
The figures walk in open ground near Monet's house in Argenteuil. Their relaxed presence places winter in modern suburban life rather than in a wild or dramatic landscape.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The visual corresponds to the Museum Barberini's MB-Mon-35 inventory and Wildenstein number 350. The reference image of 1920 × 1423 px has been preserved at its native definition and encoded as a real WebP.
The snow remains discontinuous
Lands, grasses and colorful reflections pass through its white. Uniform coverage would remove the topography of the land and the luminous variety observed by Monet.
The branches are drawn by several temperatures
Blues, grays, greens and ochres build their branches. They should remain thin at the ends and warmer around the trunks exposed to the sun.
The pond retains a material different from the soil
Its keys are more horizontal and linked, while the surrounding snow is fragmented. This difference allows you to read the water despite the proximity of their blues.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Signed and dated Claude Monet 75 lower left, this oil on canvas measures 60.6 × 81.7 cm. It is kept at the Museum Barberini under the MB-Mon-35 inventory and classified Wildenstein 350.
A winter painted in 1874 -1875
The museum preserves the dating 1874 -1875, while the signature bears 75. The work belongs to the large group of snowy landscapes created around Argenteuil during this winter.
Purchased by Paul Durand-Ruel in March 1875
The painting appeared at the Hôtel Drouot on March 24, 1875 and was acquired by Durand-Ruel. It then passed into the collections of Henri Vever, Gottfried Holthusen and Richard Semmel.
Hasso Plattner Collection at the Museum Barberini
After a Christie's sale in May 2022 and a settlement regarding its ownership history, the work joins the Hasso Plattner Collection. It is now on display at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Store the supplements in the snow whites.
- Differentiate between calm water and fragmented terrain.
- Maintain the small ladder of walkers.
- Preserve the flexible network of branches above the houses.
Work sheet
| Title | La Mare, snow effect W350 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1874 - 1875 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60.6 × 81.7 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany |
| Inventory | MB-Mon-35 · Wildenstein 350 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This horizontal landscape is suitable for a bright living room, bedroom or office. A blue gray, natural wood or deep green frame accompanies the shadows; an ivory wall brings out the discreet yellows and purples.
