À propos de l’œuvre
Rue Saint Denis, fête du 30 juin 1878, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Flags, crowd and light in Paris · Wildenstein 470
Rue Saint-Denis, celebration of June 30, 1878 W470hand painted reproduction
Reds, whites and blues spring from the windows, cross the street and mingle with the crowd. Monet paints less Parisian architecture than a space entirely remodeled by moving fabrics. The large flags in the foreground become almost abstract; in the distance, the same colors are reduced to rapid commas which nevertheless maintain depth.
Look at the work
The street is rebuilt by poles, fabrics and crowds
The facades rise on either side like two irregular walls. Their windows, balconies and cornices are never described in isolation: they serve as attachment points for a multitude of oblique poles. A dark blue banner blocks the composition and reinforces the impression of a covered street.
Below, passers-by gather in a tide of gray, black, red and white. Umbrellas or hats are only suggested. A few vertical lines indicate nearby figures, while the distance transforms into colorful dust squeezed between the buildings.
Readability does not come from detail: it arises from the variation in scale between the large nearby flags and the tiny touches in the distance.
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.
Diagonals everywhere, but no mess
The poles face in several directions. Their repetition, however, leads towards the center and accompanies the perspective of the street.
A pure color modulated by the material
Red can be vermilion, brick or almost black; blue changes from cobalt to gray. This diversity prevents the tricolor from becoming a flat pattern.
A crowd painted like a texture
Monet does not separate each person. The vertical keys and small light accents recreate the number, circulation and visual noise of the party.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The unique reference is the official visual of the 909.1.34 canvas kept in Rouen. The source file of 2962 × 4205 px was optimized to 2113 × 3000 px, without enlargement, then converted to WebP.
A vertical format that intensifies diving
The height of the canvas brings together the large flags at the bottom, the crowd, the facades and a small opening of the sky in a single swing.
A tricolor mixed with urban tones
National colors are surrounded by ochres, grey greens and blacks. The walls and crowds make their shine brighter.
Freer matter in the foreground
Nearby flags are painted by large visible gestures. Higher and further, the keys become small and nervous.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
This 1878 composition belongs to the Rouen Museum of Fine Arts under inventory 909.1.34 and bears the Wildenstein number 470.
"Long live France" and "Long live the Republic"
The museum notice draws attention to two partially hidden inscriptions. Monet leaves them legible without interrupting the movement of the fabrics.
A painting compared to music
The work quickly seduces with its rhythm. The composer Emmanuel Chabrier bought it a few weeks after the party, on August 1, 1878.
Don François Depeaux in 1909
After Chabrier's death, the painting entered the collection of François Depeaux. His significant donation made Rouen a major place for impressionist painting.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Keep the dark blue stripe that crosses the street.
- Vary each red, white and blue depending on the light.
- Maintain decreasing scale of keys in crowd.
- Preserve the partial visibility of the two Republican inscriptions.
Work sheet
| Title | Rue Saint-Denis, celebration of June 30, 1878 W470 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1878 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 76 × 52 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Museum of Fine Arts, Rouen, France |
| Inventory | 909.1.34 · Wildenstein 470 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This vertical composition brings strong energy to a narrow wall, stairwell, entrance or office. A black, dark walnut or old gold frame highlights the flags without competing with their rhythm.
