À propos de l’œuvre
Le Village de Vétheuil, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Vétheuil · 1881 · W670
The Village of Vétheuil W670hand painted reproduction
On the other bank of the Seine, Vétheuil is spread out between the water and the hillsides. The bell tower dominates a compact group of light houses, while the trees and reflections are captured in quick touches. Painted in 1881, this oil on canvas measuring only 14.4 × 22.6 cm belongs to the Musée d'Orsay, is deposited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen and corresponds to Wildenstein 670.
Look at the work
The condensed village between the Seine and the hillside
The small arm of the river occupies the foreground and reveals a low bank. Beyond, the white and pink houses form a luminous band. The bell tower and the slope of the hillside give this pochade its vertical structure.
The gray blues of the water respond to the dull greens of the trees. A few cream, pink and ocher accents are enough to distinguish the facades. The short touch keeps the speed of observation visible without dissolving the silhouette of Vétheuil.
In a few centimeters of canvas, Monet holds an entire site: the river, the houses, the church and the relief are less described than balanced by color.
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 view taken from the small arm of the Seine
The opposite bank is observed at water height. This position visually brings the village closer to the river and places the reflections in front of the first houses.
The bell tower as a landmark in the small format
Its clear shape extends beyond the roofs and allows Vétheuil to be identified despite the very free execution of the pochade.
Plans constructed by temperature
The cold tones of the water and the hillside frame the warmer facades. This alternation produces depth without detailed drawing.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The reference image of W670 is a real WebP of 1024 × 644 px. Its native definition is retained in order to respect the texture and proportions of the small pochade.
Maintain the irregular rhythm of houses
The facades must remain small, distinct masses and not become a uniform clear line.
Preserve the bell tower above the roofs
Its proportion and location organize the reading of the village in this very small format.
Keep the quick touch of the pochade
Reflections and vegetation should retain their visible brushstrokes, without excessive smoothing.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Musée d'Orsay and the Mona Lisa base document Le Village de Vétheuil, oil on canvas from 1881, 14.4 × 22.6 cm, inventory RF 1948 21 and catalog Wildenstein 670.
A pochade linked to W669 and W671
W670 forms a small group consistent with Les Coteaux near Vétheuil and La Seine seen from the heights of Chantemesle, all three preserved in Rouen.
The legacy of Blanche Hoschedé-Monet
Remaining in Giverny in the collection of Monet's daughter-in-law, the work entered the national collections with its legacy in 1948.
Preserved in Rouen since 1952
The Musée d'Orsay remains the owner of RF 1948 21, while the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen retains the painting under number D 952.1.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 670 version
- The bell tower in the center of the village
- The small arm of the Seine in the foreground
- The brief key of the 14.4 × 22.6 cm format
Work sheet
| Title | The Village of Vétheuil W670 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1881 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 14.4 × 22.6 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Rouen Museum of Fine Arts, Rouen, France |
| Inventory | RF 1948 21 · D 952.1 · Wildenstein 670 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This intimate view is suitable for an entrance, library or office. A gray blue, sage green or ivory wall and a thin dark wood frame highlight its small format.
