Artwork
The Customs House at Varengeville
The Customs House at Varengeville is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet. It dates from 1897 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Accession no.
- 16542
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
About this work
Overview
The Customs House at Varengeville is an oil-on-canvas painting depicting a small structure on the Normandy coast of France.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a customs house situated on a cliffside, a scene Claude Monet revisited multiple times to capture the effects of changing light.
Technique & Style
Monet employed innovative techniques, including scraping and wiping paint to reveal underlying colors, and increased his use of white to achieve nuanced atmospheric effects.
History & Provenance
This painting is one of eight versions Monet executed in 1882 and 1897, with the four later works sharing similar dimensions.
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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.
