Location, Location, Location: Monet and the Importance of Sainte-Adresse

Claude Monet is most well-known for his contributions to the artistic genre of impressionism and his portrayals of scenic landscapes. His use of quick brushstrokes and color lend to his reputation as a painter well ahead of his time. Because of his reputation, many scholars have focused on Monet’s work as an impressionist while missing the key element of the location a majority of his work depicts. While his landscape paintings are the most widely recognized of his works, the Sainte-Adresse area seems to have captured much of his attention, and it is in this area that much of his artistic focus resides. This is evidenced by the fact that many of Monet’s oil paintings focus on the Sainte-Adresse area, particularly along the coastline. This emphasis on place indicates the artist’s fascination with the region, as he paints similar scenes repeatedly throughout the course of his artistic career. He spent several summers in the region, and his father lived in the area. The evolution of his work is evident in his repetition of the coastline of Sainte-Adresse, and it is this repetition that allows for such a vibrant collection of impressionistic paintings of the region. The repetition of blue hues and sailboats throughout his work indicates a coherent set of artwork which represents a beloved region. Monet’s repetition of the coastline of Sainte-Adresse, and the leisurely activities which occur upon it, indicates a fascination with the seaside resort location, and provides an important comparison for the progression of his work across time.

Claude Monet, The Seashore at Sainte-Adresse, 1864

Oil on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

This piece is the first of Monet’s many depictions of the Sainte-Adresse shoreline. It differs from the others in that it seems to be an illustration of the area either at the beginning or end of the day rather than sometime during the afternoon, as evidenced by the orange and lighter hues in the skyline. Rather than hues of blue, the sea is made up of greens, yellows, and oranges that draw the viewer’s attention back to the sky. As in most of Monet’s depictions of the area, sailboats litter the surface of the water as well as the shoreline.

Claude Monet, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867

Oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 67.241

Monet’s depiction of a garden resort area on the shores of Sainte-Adresse is another example of his fascination with the resort and the leisurely activities that occur along its shores. In this piece, his more typical use of blues in the sea are evident, and are contrasted with the deep greens and vibrant flowers which line the garden area. Sailboats and other vessels line the sea in the distance. This piece marks the progression of Monet’s use of quick blue strokes contrasting the sea with the sky, which becomes a clear connection between the pieces depicting the region of Sainte-Adresse.

Claude Monet, Regatta at Sainte-Adresse, 1867

Oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 51.30.4

This painting illustrates a sailboat race, or regatta, on the shores of Sainte-Adresse. Monet’s use of blue hues in the sky and sea are reminiscent of his other works, and his depiction of leisurely activities at the resort is once again evident in this piece. This is one of Monet’s only works which portrays the actual town and resort area of Sainte-Adresse in the distance, but the typical use of sailboats draws attention to the sea. Quick brushstrokes again add movement to the water and provide a contrast with the sky.

Claude Monet, Sainte-Adresse, Fishing Boats on the Shore, 1867

Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art

The sky becomes darker and the sea becomes greener in this depiction of Sainte-Adresse. This piece represents a shift from the vibrant blue hues used in the others of Monet’s pieces depicting the region to duller, earthier tones. The sky seems cloudier in this painting than in his others, and the strokes that make up the water are not as pronounced as in his other works and make the water appear more flat. This represents a movement from the brighter, happier hues of some of his other paintings. It depicts a different kind of day on Sainte-Adresse, and lends a darker feel to the location than some of his other work.

Claude Monet, The Beach at Sainte-Adresse, 1867

Oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago

This painting is another example of Monet’s use of blue hues and sailboats to depict the shoreline of Sainte-Adresse. Although the sky again seems stormier than in some of his other paintings, the sea has similar blue hues to some of his earlier works. Sailboats again line the shore as well as the sea, and quick brushstrokes lend to the movement of the water along the coast as well as to the clouds in the sky.

Claude Monet, Sailing at Sainte-Adresse, 1873

Oil on canvas, Private collection

This painting of Sainte-Adresse gives a slightly different feel than some of Monet’s other works. While the deep blue hues so characteristic of his paintings of the region are evident here, the brush work is much more subtle, and the waves are created not as much by quick brushstrokes as by differing hues of color. A lone sailboat still lends to the continuation of that theme, and the colors lend to it as well, but this painting has a much more subtle quality to it. This rounds out Monet’s various paintings of the Sainte-Adresse area as it suggests a subtle shift in painting style.