Vetheuil 1901

This is Monet’s ‘Vetheuil,’ a landscape shimmering with light, painted with oils on canvas. What strikes me first is the surface itself, a mosaic of discrete, dappled marks. You can almost feel Monet building the scene, color by color. The river is especially compelling - a symphony of blues and greens, where the brushstrokes dance like reflections on the water. See how Monet captures the fleeting nature of light and movement? It’s as if the town is breathing, wavering between presence and disappearance. The application of paint is thin, almost transparent in places, allowing the canvas to peek through and add to the overall luminosity. It’s a kind of broken color that feels very modern. Monet, with his exploration of light, wasn't just documenting a place; he was trying to record experience itself. His later work with water lilies, for example, takes this even further, dissolving form into pure color. These works, in conversation with artists like Turner, demonstrate that art is never really finished, but instead an evolving process.