Sunrise (Marine)

Claude Monet

Contemporary-Art.org
Keywords: SunriseMarine

Work Overview

Sunrise (Marine)
Claude Monet
1873
Oil on canvas
50.2 × 61 cm (19 3/4 × 24 in.)


In the muted palette of the emerging dawn, Claude Monet portrayed the industrial port of Le Havre on the northern coast of France. The brilliant orange of the rising sun glimmers amid the damp air and dances on the gentle rippling water, lighting up its iridescent blues and greens. Barely discernible through a cool haze, pack boats on the left billow smoke from their stacks. Painted during the spring of 1873 as the country struggled to rebuild following the Franco-Prussian war, this Sunrise might also metaphorically suggest a new day dawning in France.


Sunrise exemplifies Monet's plein air, or "outdoor," approach to painting. The informal and spontaneous brushstrokes establish this picture as one of the first works, along with the famous Impression: Sunrise at the Marmottan Museum in Paris, in the Impressionist style that was to make him famous. The ephemeral play of light, water, and air would remain Monet's subject for the rest of his career.


Over the centuries, people have been certain that Impression, Sunrise was the masterpiece that inspired one of the most important art movements ever known.  However, some researchers have recently speculated whether or not Impression, Sunrise was in fact the painting that was associated with the start of Impressionism.[21] These experts claim that the description from the first Impressionist Exhibition does not match that of Impression, Sunrise, but instead that of another of Monet’s paintings—Sunrise (Marine), seen below:


This painting is supposed to have been created during the early spring of 1873, placing it around the same time as the production of Impression, Sunrise.  Some researchers believe the target of Louis Leroy’s criticism has been confused over the years and was always meant to be Sunrise (Marine).  They argue that Impression, Sunrise was not shown in the first exhibition in 1874, but was instead only shown in the fourth show of 1879.  They also state that Impression, Sunrise does not illustrate a rising sun, but in fact a setting sun as it would look through fog.  Therefore, they assume Impression, Sunrise cannot be the painting described in the critic’s original article.  They do however believe that Sunrise (Marine) unmistakably depicts a rising sun and correctly corresponds to the measurements cited in Leroy’s article, so thus they consider it is the true painting that inspired the Impressionist movement.[1]


Although criticism and uncertainty about Impressionism surfaced during its practice, there is no hesitation existing today concerning the vital impact that this movement had on the world of art.  Monet, the chief painter of the Impressionist Movement, can be credited with much of the style’s success and notoriety.  His masterpieces, especially Impression, Sunrise, excelled in expressing one’s perception of nature which came to be the essential goal of Impressionist art. Monet’s avant-garde approach to painting the feelings emitted by a scene rather than exact details paved the way for advancements in technique that led to the evolution of modern art.