À propos de l’œuvre
Meule au soleil, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Meules series · 1891 · W1288
Grindstone in the sun W1288, Kunsthaus Zürichhand painted reproduction
In this Zurich version of Meules, the gerbier is so close that its top comes out of the painting. Monet signs and dates the painting Claude Monet 91; the work measures 60 × 100 cm, belongs to the Kunsthaus Zürich under inventory 1969/0007 and appears in the Wildenstein catalog under number 1288.
Look at the work
A rural motif becomes an almost abstract light experience
The millstone is neither centered like an emblem nor placed in a vast panorama. It advances to the foreground, slightly offset, while a strip of field and a sky without topographical detail isolate it.
The cold hues of shadow rise from the ground into the mass of straw. Facing them, the pinks and ochres of the light unify sky and gerbier, so that the depth remains sensitive without depending on a precise design.
The power of this version lies in a contradiction: the gerbier appears heavy and close, but its material dissolves in the same vibrant colors as the surrounding air.
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 asymmetrical mass
The silhouette leans and tightens towards an invisible summit. The weight of the pattern is compensated by the clear expanse of the sky on the left and the cold band of the field.
The time entered in the palette
Monet adds no narrative. The pink, mauve, green and blue variations alone record the state of the atmosphere and how light reaches each side of the gerbier.
A canvas identified without ambiguity
The 60 × 100 cm format, the dated signature, the 1969/0007 inventory and the Wildenstein 1288 reference make it possible to distinguish this image from the many other millstones from 1890 -1891.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The file presents a single image, that of the work 1969/0007. The file is a real WebP of 1,200 × 723 px, kept at its original definition to avoid any false sharpness.
A superior cut to preserve
The edge of the canvas actually interrupts the grinding wheel. Adding space above or reducing the pattern would change the monumental character Monet sought.
Never black shadows
Slate blue, purple and green make up the dark side. Their relationship with warm tones must remain readable, even in a small format reproduction.
A surface organized by the brush
The keys accumulate obliquely on the straw and become flatter in the sky. The gesture contributes to the recognition of the pattern as much as the silhouette.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Kunsthaus Zürich file sets the date, format, signature and material history of this Grindstone in the sun, Wildenstein 1288.
The cycle revealed at Durand-Ruel
A selection of Meules was exhibited in Paris in 1891. By repeating the same motif, Monet made the time, climate and season the real subject.
The only gerbier cut at the top
The Kunsthaus notes the exceptional framing of W1288: no other version of the cycle lets the gerbier exceed the upper edge in this way.
Purchase thanks to the Otto Meister legacy
Acquired in 1969, the work joined the Zurich collections under number 1969/0007. The canvas is today one of the millstones most closely associated with the museum.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The original format of 60 × 100 cm
- Monumental gerbier asymmetry
- Cold shadows mixed with straw
- The colorful continuity between the field and the sky
Work sheet
| Title | Grindstone in the sun W1288, Kunsthaus Zürich |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1891 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60 × 100 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Inventory | 1969/0007 · Wildenstein 1288 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This muted harmony brings depth to a living room, bedroom or office. A warm ivory wall, smoked oak and some mauve, sage or slate blue accents accompany the canvas with discretion.
