Artwork
Ice Floes
Ice Floes is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet. It dates from 1897 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject matter emphasizes the physical presence of ice chunks within a riverine setting, reflecting Monet's interest in capturing transient natural states.
Claude Monet's 1893 painting Ice Floes depicts a winter landscape characterized by ice formations floating on a river. The composition focuses on the natural phenomena of frozen water and the seasonal atmosphere of winter. While the work captures a specific meteorological event, the source material does not provide explicit details regarding deeper symbolic interpretations or specific iconographic programs beyond the literal representation of ice, river, and the winter season.
The subject matter emphasizes the physical presence of ice chunks within a riverine setting, reflecting Monet's interest in capturing transient natural states. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which currently holds the work, describes the imagery strictly in terms of these elemental components without attributing additional allegorical meaning in the available records.
Technique & Style
Ice Floes is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting Monet’s characteristic plein‑air approach to landscape. The work employs layered oil pigments to render the translucent surface of frozen water, with subtle glazes that suggest the play of winter light on ice. Monet’s brushwork combines delicate, almost invisible strokes for the distant sky with broader, textured applications to capture the fragmented ice floes and their reflective quality.
The canvas support provides a stable ground that endures the thin, brittle handling typical of late‑19th‑century easel paintings, and the piece remains largely intact, retaining its original color saturation and formal balance between compositional depth and atmospheric nuance.
History & Provenance
Ice Floes was painted by Claude Monet in 1893 using oil on canvas, measuring roughly 66 × 100.3 cm. The work remained in the artist’s studio until it entered the collection of Louisine Havemeyer, who later bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been on permanent display since its acquisition. The painting’s subject, an icy stretch of river in winter, reflects Monet’s fascination with atmospheric effects. Its provenance is documented through Havemeyer’s ownership before its transfer to the museum, establishing a clear chain of custody from creator to present custodian.
The painting Ice Floes, created by Claude Monet in 1893, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Historical records indicate the work was once owned by Louisine Havemeyer. While the artwork's physical dimensions and medium are documented as oil on canvas measuring 66 by 100.3 centimeters, the provided sources do not list a specific accession number or detail any past exhibitions for this piece.
Overview
Claude Monet's oil painting, Ice Floes, created in 1897, captures a tranquil winter landscape. The artwork depicts a river covered in fractured ice, with a few small boats resting on its surface. This serene depiction of a cold environment is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, offering a glimpse into Monet's exploration of natural light and atmospheric conditions during the colder months.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of Impressionism who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it.
- Île aux Orties near Vernon
Morning on the Seine, near Giverny
Morning Haze
Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)
Morning on the Seine, near Giverny
The Islets at Port-Villez
Waterloo Bridge, Morning Fog
Morning on the Seine near Giverny
Bras de Seine près de Giverny, soleil levant
Vétheuil in Summer
Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect
The Seine at Giverny