In September 1878, the Monet family moved to Vétheuil, on the banks of the Seine, around fifty kilometres downstream from Paris. The view from windows on the upper floor of the house looked southwest over a bend in the river. In the winter, the sun set behind the hamlet of Lavacourt, on the opposite shore. From his studio boat moored at the edge of the garden, Claude Monet (1840–1926) worked relentlessly on islands, the riverbank and the Seine, attentive to the changes in the landscape. While he was working on countless views over Vétheuil, the winter of 1879–1880, one of the harshest in history, provided him with a new subject and the elements for a series of twenty-eight paintings.
In December 1879, plunging temperatures froze the Seine under a deep layer of ice almost 50 centimetres thick. When the thaw began in Paris, the situation quickly became catastrophic as the river transported massive blocks of ice and two bridges were swept away. Monet was fascinated by the extreme weather conditions and painted the daily evolution of this exceptional winter in Vétheuil, from December 1879 to March 1880. The snowy landscapes gave way to scenes of the frozen Seine, followed by the thaw.
Fully bathed in a peaceful pink light, Winter Sun at Lavacourt was painted in the heart of winter. The composition is simple, structured around the high horizontal line that corresponds to the opposite bank of the Seine. The village in the background both separates and connects the two contrasting elements of sky and water. The long, even and parallel brushstrokes executed in the lower section of the painting accentuate the horizontal nature of the composition. The painting features a strong division, with unpainted canvas showing through in the reserved areas. The colour harmony of the landscape stems from the contrast between two complementary colours, orange and blue, in keeping with the laws of optics on the decomposition of light that have governed the work of colourist painters since Delacroix.
- Title: Winter Sun at Lavacourt
- Creator: Claude Monet
- Creator Lifespan: 1840 - 1926
- Creator Nationality: French
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Death Place: Giverny
- Creator Birth Place: Paris
- Date: 1879 - 1880
- Style: Impressionist
- Physical Dimensions: w81 x h55 cm (Without frame)
- Original title: Soleil d'hiver à Lavacourt
- Acquisition: Legacy Marande
- Provenance: MuMa Le Havre
- Type: Painting
- Rights: © MuMa Le Havre / David Fogel
- Medium: oil on canvas
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
