The artwork “Boats on the Beach at Etretat” is an oil painting created by the famed Impressionist artist Claude Monet in 1885. The piece is categorized as a cityscape and measures 66 x 80.2 cm. It characterizes the Impressionist movement, which is known for its use of light and brushwork to capture the momentary effects of the natural world.
In the painting, Monet depicts a series of boats and beach huts at Etretat, a location on the Normandy coast of France that he frequented and found inspirational for his work. The scene is alive with vibrant colors where several boats, with their hulls and masts, are set against the shimmering sea. The foreground shows the beach, scattered with fishing equipment, and the iconic sharp roofs of the huts, painted in heavy, textured brushstrokes that convey a sense of immediacy and the dynamic play of light. The sea’s hues range from varying shades of turquoise and blue, illustrating the movement of water with quick, almost gestural strokes. The atmosphere captures a fresh, windy seaside day, likely with the sound of waves and seagulls, a scene very much alive and typical of Monet’s ability to convey the sensation of the moment on canvas.