Morning on the Seine

Claude Monet
Artist Claude Monet
Date 1898
Medium Oil on canvas
Collection Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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About the Artist

Claude Monet
French (1840–1926)
Claude Monet was a French painter and a leading figure in the Impressionist movement. Known for his innovative approach to light and color, Monet captured fleeting moments in time through his depiction of landscapes, gardens, and natural settings. His works, such as 'Impression, Sunrise,' gave the movement its name and challenged the traditional methods of painting. His focus on light and atmosphere, often using rapid brushstrokes, revolutionized art and left a lasting impact on modern painting.

Master’s Palette

Morning on the Seine (1898)-palette by Claude Monet

Artwork Story

Claude Monet’s Morning on the Seine captures the quiet magic of dawn as mist hovers above the river, dissolving the world into soft, dreamlike hues. The water mirrors the sky in delicate brushstrokes, blending blues, purples, and golds so seamlessly that the scene feels almost weightless. Trees along the bank emerge as faint silhouettes, their reflections trembling slightly—Monet’s way of suggesting the gentle movement of air and water. There’s no grand drama here, just the hushed beauty of a moment suspended between night and day, where light itself becomes the subject.

Painted during a series focused on the Seine at different times of day, this piece reveals Monet’s obsession with fleeting effects of light. He often worked from a floating studio to capture the river’s ever-changing moods, sometimes revisiting the same spot for hours as shadows shifted. The result isn’t a literal snapshot but an impression—an emotional response to tranquility. Look closely, and you’ll notice how layers of thin, overlapping strokes create depth without sharp edges, as if the scene might dissolve if you blinked too hard.


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