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Look, think, do: Rocks at Port-Coton, the Lion Rock

Description of this object or artwork

Monet visited the so-called ‘wild coast’ of Brittany for the first time in the autumn and winter of 1886. He had planned to stay only ten days, but ended up spending ten weeks, based in a tiny hamlet only five hundred metres from the rugged coastline. This is one of thirty-nine paintings made during his stay.

French writer Emile Zola praised Monet for his extraordinary ability to paint water. He wrote that in Monet's paintings water was always, ‘alive, deep, and above all real’. If you compare this painting to other seascapes by Monet, such as The Rock Needle and Porte d'Aval, Etretat, you can see how sensitively Monet responded to the different moods of the sea to paint both stillness and movement.

The idea of painting the same thing over and over again may well have been inspired by Japanese prints, which were widely circulated among artists in Paris. Monet is thought to be influenced by the bold colours, the inventive compositions, the relative flatness, and the fact they are drawn from everyday life. Monet's house in Giverny, has a large collection of Japanese prints.

You can find out more about Claude Monet and the other French Impressionst artists in the collection at The Fitzwilliam Museum in this online exhbition.

This resource has been developed to coincide with #ChildrensArtWeek. Children’s Art Week is run by Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education and supported in 2020 by Engage Scotland, Engage Cymru and The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.

Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) Oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by H. M. Government and allocated to the Fitzwilliam Museum, 1998

Look

This picture has two names: Rocks at Port Coton & Lion Rock. Can you spot a rock in the shape of a lion?  

What colours has Monet used to paint the choppy sea?

Watch the story of 'The Horse and Lion' which was inspired by this painting 

Think

Monet painted some of his favourite places lots of times. He painted this coastline 39 times over 10 weeks! 

Spend some time in your favourite outdoor spot.

Think about how it changes at different times of the day, different weather, or seasons throughout the year.

Do

Watch artist Hannelore Smith’s top tips for making your very own wax resist watery landscapes 

Collections record

PD.27-1998
Collection record: 1237

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