The Customs House at Varengeville, Claude Monet

The Varengeville Customs House, Claude Monet (1897)

Claude Monet is known for his numerous series of paintings. A fascinated artist, he often painted certain elements in different conditions, as if to show that any object can evolve according to the conditions that surround it. This house, located in Varengeville, Normandy, was the subject of four works by Monet in 1882 and four more in 1897. In each of these paintings, the dwelling is seen by Monet from above, giving an accentuated impression of height. Already situated on the edge of a cliff, this house has ideal color tones for Monet. With the ochre of the bricks, the painter can bring out the straw that borders its boundaries. Similarly, the green of the garden is related to the green used by the artist to depict the sea.
The overall atmosphere of the work is very characteristic of Monet: thanks to an overcast day, with a milky sky, Monet creates a dark luminosity. The water of the sea appears whitish, even gray, especially near the house.