Art Analysis - the Beach at Honfleur

 Classic Impressionism Defined

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The Beach at Honfleur

Claude Monet (France, 1840-1926) 

France, 1864-1866

Oil on canvas

Frame: 34 × 43 × 4 in. (86.36 × 109.22 × 10.16 cm) Canvas: 23 1/2 × 32 in. (59.69 × 81.28 cm)

        Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter who lived from November 14, 1840 to December 5, 1926. In the late 1860’s, Monet and other artist with similar interest had their works rejected by the Academie de Beaux-Arts, which held an annual exhibition at the Salon de Paris were artist would showcase their work. In 1873, Monet and a group of artist that included Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley organized the Societe anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs (Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers) to exhibit their works independently which had been rejected at the Salon de Paris. During the first exhibition in 1874, Monet showed the his work Impression, Sunrise which was painted two years prior. Louis Leroy an art critic for Le Charivari wrote a review of the exhibition were he wrote “L’Exposition des Impressionnister” (The exhibition of the Impressionist), the term Impressionism was coined from there. Monet painted The Beach at Honfleur in 1864 and it is a classic example of impressionism because of how it breaks from traditional techniques.

        There are several techniques that are used in The Beach at Honfleur which include it’s open composition and use of short brushstrokes. Open Composition in art is when shapes are running off the edges and sides of the picture plane. This gives the sense that the work extends beyond the edges of the picture, which allows for more active eye movement. Open composition was a very common attribute of the impressionist movement. In “Forty Years In the Country”, Danieli, Fidel stated “The Beach of Honfleur composition gives you the idea that there is more to the painting beyond it’s border” (Danieli). As an onlooker, I want to know what is beyond the borders of the painting and that technique make the painting the ideal description of impressionism. The painting does not have a certain item that is the central focus, which is also very common in impressionistic works. There are several items that attract the attention of the onlooker like the rough terrain, lighthouse, ships, man, the clouds, and ocean. There is no particular item that stands out. Traditional paintings have smooth brushstrokes and centered composition, but this painting breaks away from all that.  Monet uses short loose brushstrokes that create a realistic picture from the rough terrain on the beach to the sunlight reflecting of the water. The short brushstrokes also make the clouds look realistic and like they are ready to pop out the painting.