Cliffs at Pourville

Cliffs at Pourville is about the sublimity of nature and the natural movement of air and sea. The composition and elements in this piece relate back to Monet’s inspirations, the artists he admired and learned from. His technique captured the essence of reality happening at a precise moment. The movement of the piece is emphasized through his brushstrokes and colors, giving life to light and air. Monet’s intense study of nature and practice of painting en plein air produced dramatic effects in his landscape paintings. Monet’s introduction to Japanese print was a significant event in his career, but “perhaps the most important event in Monet’s life had been his meeting with Boudin [landscape painter Eugène Boudin] in the stationer’s shop at the age of fifteen.” Boudin introduced the artist to the beauty of nature and landscape painting.