Haystacks at Giverny

You know, I love Monet's Haystacks! This one recently has been auctioned so it is a great opportunity to show it now.  :)

In 1893, during the peak of the haymaking season, Claude Monet set up his easel in the meadow just south of where his future water lily pond would be and painted Haystacks at Giverny. This amazing painting, infused with light, shadow, color, and movement, epitomizes Monet's bucolic Impressionism and features one of his most cherished subjects—the haystack. 

Monet found inspiration in the fields near his home in Giverny, capturing the monumental grainstacks that dominated the harvested fields from late spring onwards. Villages often had to wait months for a traveling threshing machine, so the stacks, sometimes over 20 feet tall, would sit until January or February. The shape of these stacks varied by region.

The haystack (or grainstack) motif appeared in Monet’s work as early as the mid-1880s. In 1884, haystacks are seen in front of poplars; in 1885, they are leaned against by young figures dressed for a summer day; and in 1886, they form part of a broader countryside view. It wasn't until 1888 that Monet began featuring grainstacks as the central motif of a composition. By 1891, Monet completed his first series, depicting about 25 canvases of Haystacks in various light and weather conditions. The painting we present today, along with two other works, was completed amidst his Cathedral paintings in 1893. 

Have a great Friday, everyone!

P.S. Claude Monet loved creating numerous paintings of the same topic, presenting the same view in different light and weather conditions. Here are Monet's masterpieces painted in series!

P.P.S. Psst! In our DailyArt Shop you can still buy our artsy planners with a discount! Be fast and order your copy!  :)