Zaandam, summer 1871. Claude Monet sets up his easel facing the calm waters of the Zaan. The Franco-Prussian War has just driven him from France. Here, in the Netherlands, he rediscovers light and serenity. Before him, houses with pale green façades stand at the canal’s edge. Their Baroque ornaments, typical of 17th-century Dutch architecture, captivate his gaze.
A Luminous Palette
Monet works quickly, in fragmented touches. The blue of the sky mingles with shades of white in the clouds. Reflections dance on the water’s surface in horizontal streaks of color. The pink and green façades break down into multiple nuances under the summer light. The trees form a dense mass of varied greens, treated in small, juxtaposed brushstrokes. This technique already heralds the Impressionism that would revolutionize painting.
Creative Exile After War
While Paris tends its wounds, Monet finds a haven of peace in Zaandam. This small town near Amsterdam attracts tourists with its picturesque landscapes. The artist stays there with his family and produces twenty-five canvases in a few months. He writes to Camille Pissarro that one could “occupy an entire painter’s lifetime” in this place. These houses by the water embody the carefree spirit regained after the traumas of war.
Claude Monet
Monet (1840-1926) is now thirty-one years old. He refines his style by capturing the effects of light on water and architecture. This Dutch period marks a decisive stage toward the Impressionist maturity that would bring him worldwide renown.
Think about it
💭 How did this Dutch stay of 1871-1872 constitute a decisive laboratory for the Impressionist technique that Monet would develop the following year with Impression, Sunrise?
About This Work
- Houses by the Bank of the River Zaan
- Claude Monet
- 1871-1872
- Oil on canvas
- 47.7 × 73.7 cm
- Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
- https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/work/houses-by-the-bank-of-the-river-zaan
