Storm on the Cote de Belle-Ile 1886

Claude Monet created this evocative oil painting titled "Storm on the Cote de Belle-Ile" at some point in his career. Monet’s interest in rendering the transient effects of light and atmosphere connects with a wider cultural shift in late 19th-century France. The rise of scientific observation influenced not only the content of art but also its institutions. Artists moved away from the academic studios and began to work ‘en plein air’ in order to more faithfully record their sense impressions. Monet took this approach to the rugged coast of Belle-Île in Brittany. Paintings like these helped challenge the traditional hierarchy of genres established by institutions like the French Academy, where landscape painting was deemed inferior to historical or mythological scenes. In researching Monet's painting, we might consult not only the artist's personal letters, but exhibition records, newspaper reviews, and other documentary evidence to place the artwork within its original social and institutional context.