The Departure of the Boats, Étretat, Claude Monet

The Departure of the Boats, Étretat, Claude Monet (1885)

This painting by Monet was painted at the same time as another work that we propose to reproduce: Boats on the beach at Etretat. There is therefore a common atmosphere to both paintings, which were both done while Monet was at his window, in the Hotel Blanquet. Indeed, in the middle of a rainy day in the autumn of 1885, the painter was content with the view from his room to find inspiration. Once again, Monet uses his pastels perfectly and his choice of color is perfect to give the impression of humidity and the feeling of a wet ground.
In this composition, the beach is more animated: there are boats ready to disembark but there are also groups of men and boats already at sea. Compared to the other work, Monet also allows himself more facetiousness: he allows himself touches of color to represent the hull of the boats but also and especially on the house located on the right, where he lets himself go with touches of green and blue.