Vetheuil 1901

Claude Monet made this painting, Vetheuil, with oil on canvas. It’s so interesting how Monet captured light, not with detail, but with these short, choppy strokes. It's all about the process, the doing, rather than a perfect picture. Notice how he’s built up the town using warm yellows and oranges, making it glow against the cooler greens and blues of the landscape. The water is particularly captivating. It's not just blue, it's a mix of blues, yellows, and whites, each dab of paint suggesting movement and reflection. Look closely at the way the yellow highlights dance on the surface. Each stroke feels deliberate, yet the overall effect is one of spontaneity and fluidity. Monet, like Turner, was obsessed with capturing the ephemeral qualities of light, a pursuit also seen in the work of contemporary painters like Gerhard Richter, who explores similar themes through abstraction and experimentation. It reminds us that art is always in conversation, building upon and challenging what came before.