Impression, Sunrise

When we talk about Impressionism, there is a picture should be mentioned, that is Impression, Sunrise. The picture was painted on canvas in 1872 by the great French artist Claude Monet. This painting is an example of the Impressionism style, giving a view of the Le Havre Harbor in France.

By asking why titled the picture Impression, Sunrise, Monet explained that “Landscape is nothing but an impression, and an instantaneous one, hence this label that was given us, by the way because of me. I had sent a thing done in Le Havre, from my window, sun in the mist and a few masts of boats sticking up in the foreground... They asked me for a title for the catalogue, it couldn’t really be taken for a view of Le Harvre, and I said, ‘Put Impression’.”

As the creator explained, in the panting, the sun is set against the dawn, the orange color against the gray and the vibrant force of the sun against its motionless surroundings. The fog around the seascape suggests us the sun is rising in the morning. Bright sunlight floats on the seawater, a few boats are rowing on the surface. The whole picture is a beauty of mistery and quietness.

Impression, Sunrise was created in 1872, and first displayed in a show of the Impressionists in 1874. The appearance of the painting caused controversy in the public. In 1985, the painting was stolen from the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris by Philippe Jamin and Youssef Khimoun, but was recovered undamaged in 1990, and then was put back on display in 1991. Now, this painting ranks TOP20 most valuable oil paintings.