The Rock Needle and the Porte d'Aval

The French Impressionist painter Monet depicted the scenery of Étretat, the picturesque spot in the Normandy region of France. Étretat, with its white cliffs and strangely shaped rocks towering over the sea in areas such as Porte d'Aval and Aiguille Island, is the most widely known of all the places of scenic beauty in the Normandy coast region. In this composition, the sparkling of the water's surface and the rugged texture of the cliffs are skillfully expressed with characteristically broad Impressionist brushwork and vivid colors.