Cliff Walk at Pourville

Cliff Walk at Pourville by Claude Monet: In February 1882, Claude Monet went to Normandy to paint, one of many such expeditions that he made in the 1880s. This…

What to notice

Follow the cliff edge and two figures toward the sea; windblown grass, slanting ground, and broken blue water make the viewpoint feel physically exposed.

Discover

In February 1882, Claude Monet went to Normandy to paint, one of many such expeditions that he made in the 1880s. This was also a retreat from personal and professional pressures. His wife, Camille, had died three years earlier, and Monet had entered into a domestic arrangement with Alice Hoschedé (whom he would marry in 1892, after her husband's death). France was in the midst of a lengthy economic recession that affected Monet's sales. In addition, the artist was unenthusiastic about the upcoming seventh Impress…