Gorge of the Petit Ailly, Varengeville 1897

Editor: Here we have Monet's "Gorge of the Petit Ailly, Varengeville", currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. The brushstrokes are so vibrant, almost tactile! What can you tell me about Monet’s process here? Curator: Notice how Monet meticulously layers paint, transforming industrial pigments into an image of the natural world. What do you think this tension between production and subject reveals? Editor: Perhaps it suggests a growing awareness of humanity's impact on the environment, even then? Curator: Exactly! And the way the materials themselves—oil paint, canvas, brushes—become central to understanding how we perceive and consume nature. It makes you wonder about the labor involved and the accessibility of such scenes. Editor: That’s a very interesting perspective. It gives me a new way to think about impressionism and materiality.