Claude Monet (1840-1926) Poppies 1873 - Oil on canvas H. 50; W.65 cm. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.
This fan is inspired by Claude Monet's famous painting Les Coquelicots (Poppies), an Impressionist masterpiece painted in 1873 and housed in the Musée d'Orsay. An elegant reproduction of part of the work Poppies, Near Argenteuil, it captures the vibrancy of the luminous landscapes that made the master of fine arts famous. A refined accessory allowing art lovers to own a fragment of this iconic painting in the history of French art.
Analysis of Claude Monet's painting Poppies
The painting Poppies depicts a rural scene with a row of trees in the background forming the only stable line in the composition. The field of poppies stretches like a sea to the horizon, while a bright blue sky accentuates the feeling of being outdoors. Monet deliberately blurs the contours and creates a colourful rhythm using bright red spots that contrast with the pale green of the meadow.
Now considered one of the iconic masterpieces of Impressionism, it is one of Monet's most famous paintings. The painting was included in the artist's catalogue raisonné and donated to the French State in 1906 by Étienne Moreau-Nélaton.
Further reading on the painting
Where are Monet's poppy paintings exhibited?
The main work, Les Coquelicots (1873), is exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it is one of the centrepieces of the Impressionist collection.
Why did Monet paint poppy fields?
After returning from England in 1871, Monet settled in Argenteuil, where he found the surrounding landscapes to be the ideal inspiration for experimenting with bright colours in the open air. With financial support from his dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, he captured the vibrant atmosphere of the fields swaying in the wind.
What is the significance of poppy fields in Monet's work?
The striking contrast between the bright red of the flowers and the green of the meadows creates a vibrant optical effect, characteristic of his division of colour strokes. This Impressionist technique blurs the contours and favours immediate visual impression over faithful representation of the landscape.
