Oscar-Claude Monet (14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French Impressionist artist who lived around the turn of the 20th century. He is best known for his water lily paintings and many other oil paintings, including sunsets. Monet loved to paint the same location during the different seasons of the year and at various times of the day to experiment with how light was shown across the sky and other objects within his paintings. His sunset paintings are most noted for their bold use of reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and purples that make up his complex and lively sky scenery. Sceneries of sunsets and sunrises were perfect opportunities to introduce vibrant color balances to tried and tested locations giving them a fresh look.
Some of his most famous sunset paintings include:
Grainstacks At Giverny, Sunset
In 1890 and 1891, Monet painted a group of pictures of the stacks of wheat (referred to as grain stacks or haystacks) in the fields near his home. This sunset painting is part of the Haystack series and is one of the three-grain stack paintings. The grain stacks represented the prosperity of the village near where he lived.
The Church At Varengeville Against The Sunset
The view in this painting is across a gorge to the cliff-top church at Varengeville. This sunset view of Varengeville is from a series of four paintings by Monet. The light from behind the church dissolves its form and catches the foliage in the foreground.
Valley of the Creuse, Sunset
Monet spent all of the spring of 1889 in Fresselines, a village along the Creuse river, exploring this world through his artist’s eyes. He painted a series of nine canvases inspired by this landscape between March and May, which he described as “a place of terrific and savage beauty.”
Impression Sunrise
This painting depicts the port of Le Havre at sunrise, the two small rowboats in the foreground and the red sun being the focal elements. Impression Sunrise is generally acknowledged as one of Monet’s most influential of his paintings.
Houses of Parliament, Sunset
This painting is one of the 19 known paintings by Monet in the Houses of Parliament series. This painting represents a pallet of purples, reds, and yellows to create an inspiring skyline. A feature present in many sunset paintings painted by Claude Monet.
Twilight Venice
This work is the most reproduced of all Monet’s paintings. The reason for this is apparent when one observes the splash of color across the sky and reflects in the water below. It is highly artistic and features the beautiful city of Venice, Italy.
Sunset on The Seine in Winter
This sunset painting is a stylish and charming one because of its colors and contrasts. It includes a nice blend from sea to sky with a red sun which captures your attention. The landscape is featured with neutral green colors and blue tones, making the entire work hold together quite nicely.
Artist Claude Monet is considered one of the most significant oil painters of all time. His paintings are highly favored and sought after by art collectors worldwide. Claude Monet’s sunset paintings can be viewed at art galleries around the world.
For more information about the paintings by this artist, visit The Claud Monet Gallery of Complete Works.
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UPDATED: 10 March 2023