Monet - Impression, rising sun

Kept at the Marmottan Museum in Paris, this view of the old outer port of Le Havre is one of the masterpieces of French Impressionism. Presented at an exhibition at Nadar's studio, it was deleted by the art critic Louis Leroy who entitled his article "the exhibition of the impressionists", he had just unknowingly invented the name of this new artistic movement. As is often the case in Monet's work, we are here at the frontiers of abstraction.

Claude Monet presented this view of the old outer harbor of Le Havre at the first exhibition of the Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs which took place from April 15 to May 15, 1874 in the former studio of the photographer Nadar, at 35 boulevard des Capucines in Paris. It was on this occasion that the journalist in charge of writing the catalogue, Edmond Renoir, brother of the painter Pierre Auguste Renoir, asked Claude Monet to give it a name other than "Vue du Havre" and Claude Monet said "Put Impression", with Edmond Renoir completing it with "soleil levant".

Impression, Rising Sun, 1872
Marmottan Monet Museum