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Lot Essay
Claude Monet painted Pourville in 1882, when he was staying in the seaside town in Normandy with his family and that of Alice Hoschedé, whom he would later marry. The trip that Monet made in the Summer of 1882 was a time of happiness for Monet, as his relationship with Alice, whose husband Ernest had been one of the artist's friends and patrons, was now in the open. The family group staying at Pourville included Germaine Hoschedé, one of the closest of his stepchildren, who was the owner of this painting as well as a frequent important correspondent with Alice; Germaine would later marry a young lawyer, Albert Salerou.
Adding to Monet's happiness at the time of his second stay in Pourville was his love of the town itself, which he had visited earlier in 1882 and which had enchanted him, as did so much of the Normandy coast. Earlier in the year, he had been staying nearby in Dieppe, but had found a dearth of subjects and its surrounding area until he stumbled upon Varengeville and Pourville. Now, returning to Pourville, he rented the Villa Juliette which is shown to the right in the background in this painting, which comprises a view from the path of La Cavée.
The success of Monet's painting expedition to Pourville is reflected in the fact that a string of the pictures created during this period are now in museums throughout the world. Monet's enthusiasm for the place is clear in this painting in its lively palette, with the turquoise sea flecked with intense lapis hues and further punctuated by the sails of the boats. In the foreground, there are explosive bursts of brushstrokes which convey the sense of the foliage as though blown in the wind. Streaks of colour run through the trees. Monet has adopted the plunging viewpoint, with the high horizon in the background, adding a drama to this view down to the seaside village and filling the picture with the rich colours both of the sea and of the greenery in the foreground, itself articulated by the rhythmic progression of the houses which peek over the edge of the receding ground.
Adding to Monet's happiness at the time of his second stay in Pourville was his love of the town itself, which he had visited earlier in 1882 and which had enchanted him, as did so much of the Normandy coast. Earlier in the year, he had been staying nearby in Dieppe, but had found a dearth of subjects and its surrounding area until he stumbled upon Varengeville and Pourville. Now, returning to Pourville, he rented the Villa Juliette which is shown to the right in the background in this painting, which comprises a view from the path of La Cavée.
The success of Monet's painting expedition to Pourville is reflected in the fact that a string of the pictures created during this period are now in museums throughout the world. Monet's enthusiasm for the place is clear in this painting in its lively palette, with the turquoise sea flecked with intense lapis hues and further punctuated by the sails of the boats. In the foreground, there are explosive bursts of brushstrokes which convey the sense of the foliage as though blown in the wind. Streaks of colour run through the trees. Monet has adopted the plunging viewpoint, with the high horizon in the background, adding a drama to this view down to the seaside village and filling the picture with the rich colours both of the sea and of the greenery in the foreground, itself articulated by the rhythmic progression of the houses which peek over the edge of the receding ground.