Claude Monet

Michel Monet, Giverny
Private Collection (sale: Sotheby's, London, 2nd December 1986, lot 35)
Acquired by the present owner in 1993

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet, Biographie et catalogue raisonné, Lausanne & Paris, 1979, vol. II, no. 1057, illustrated p. 187
Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Catalogue raisonné, Cologne, 1996, vol. III, no. 1057, illustrated in colour p. 400

The canvas is unlined. Apart from an area of retouching along the left edge, and a few spots of retouching in the sky, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the winter of 1885-86 Monet painted several views of Giverny and the neighbouring Limetz under snow. A town situated on the outskirts of Paris, Giverny would become synonymous with the most innovative compositions of the artist’s career. Monet moved with his family to Giverny in April 1883 and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1890 he bought a house and a large garden there, which provided the site for his legendary Nymphéas compositions at the turn of the century. According to Daniel Wildenstein, the present work was painted on the road between Limetz and Giverny and the houses at the edge of Giverny as well as the Cossy mill are visible immediately to the left of the road, facing the marsh. In the background are the hills on the right bank of the river Epte (D. Wildenstein, op. cit., 1996, p. 400).

Executed at the height of Monet’s Impressionism, Hiver à Giverny exemplifies the artist’s life-long commitment to painting en plein air, exploring the effects of weather conditions and light at different times of the day on the surrounding landscape. The present work offers a vibrant contrast between the ochre and brown tones of the ground and trees, and the icy blue and white tones of the snow-covered hills and water, evoking the atmosphere of stillness and tranquillity of a winter day. The undulating lines of the foreground and a few figures walking along the diagonal of the path take the viewer’s eye towards the centre of the composition, the hills rising in the background and the icy sky above them. The unique properties of winter light presented temporal and tonal challenges that appealed to Monet's most profound sensibilities as a landscape painter. By the time he painted Hiver à Giverny in 1886, he had already established himself as the leading landscape painter among Impressionist artists, and his pictures from this era exemplify his interest in the transformative power of the elements on the natural world.