Vetheuil 1901

Claude Monet captured Vetheuil, likely with oils on canvas. Imagine the day Monet stood here! He might have been thinking about Turner, or maybe he was just trying to capture how the light hits the water. The scene comes into being through layered brushstrokes. The textures are so immediate. I can see the river moving. The water is the star, almost vibrating with the energy of brushstrokes that dissolve the houses and trees into streaks of light and shadow. There's a kind of alchemy here, where paint becomes more than just pigment. I see him, standing there painting it. As painters, we are all in conversation with Monet, we are all trying to capture fleeting impressions, to see the world anew.