Boulevard des Capucines

The Boulevard des Capucines was depicted by the Impressionists many times at different times of the year. The most famous paintings were done by Pissarro and Monet. This winter scene is one of the best examples of such. As in other paintings, we look down onto a busy city street crowded with carriages and pedestrians. Monet painted from the windows of the Nadar studio, where the groundbreaking first Impressionist exhibition took place in 1874. The critic Ernest Chesneau offered this response: "At a distance, one hails a masterpiece in this stream of life . . . But come closer, and it all vanishes. There remains only an indecipherable chaos of palette scrapings. Obviously, this is not the last word in art, nor even of this art. It is necessary to go on and transform the sketch into a finished work. But what a bugle call for those who listen carefully, how it resounds far into the future!"

 

Learn more about Monet and the first Impressionist exhibition by enrolling in our Impressionist Course. Also check out our Impressionist notebook here.  : )

 

P.S. Feeling a bit cold and dreaming about a nice summer vacation? Here are Monet's Bordighera paintings to warm you up!