At Antibes, the wind sometimes threatened to blow Claude Monet's easel over. During his four months there on the French Mediterranean coast in 1888, he still finished nearly forty works.
What you're looking at
A small house sits in the middle of the scene, and beyond it lies the blue sea and, far off, the Alps. Slender trees frame the house on either side. The Cleveland Museum of Art says Monet used thick paint and bright colors to capture the strong light of midday. Nothing is polished or smooth. The surface is built up from dabs and strokes, so the sunshine seems to sit right on the canvas.
Four months in the south
Monet spent January to May of 1888 in Antibes, a city in southeastern France, looking for fresh inspiration. Cleveland counts 35 canvases painted during the visit, and describes the total as nearly 40 works. The museum describes the colors as evoking the region's sun-drenched climate, and this painting shows that bright southern light well. It was a busy, productive trip, and this canvas is one of the results. He signed it in the lower right corner.
One detail to look for
Look at the slim trees framing the house. Small daubs of green on their branches suggest that spring is just beginning. Monet was not only painting a house and a view. He was recording a particular moment in the season.
A canvas that changed hands quickly
Museum records show that art dealer Durand-Ruel bought the painting from Monet in July 1891, three years after it was made. Then it moved fast. In 1892, Durand-Ruel sold it to a Montreal collector, W. C. van Horne, who sold it back that August. Within a few weeks it went to a buyer in St. Louis, and in early 1893 Durand-Ruel bought it back and sold it again, this time to Jeptha H. Wade. Wade gave it to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1916, and that is where it has stayed.