Varengeville. Yellow Rays from the Cliffs at Mordal

In 1904, Jean Francis Auburtin arrived in Varengeville for the very first time. He decided to build his house there in 1907. From then on, this site proved to be his greatest source of inspiration. Between 1880 and 1890, Claude Monet went through an incredibly fruitful period of artistic creation on the Normandy coast, painting a number of studies of the Mordal cliffs, near Varengeville. Auburtin happily lingered over the same motifs, while varying the composition and perspective. Just as Monet had done before him, Auburtin would endlessly wander these sites to immerse himself in the landscape. The artist paid particular attention to the composition. His painting style evolved to achieve a greater simplification of the motif, favoring softer tones and textures. While the father of Impressionism had sought to translate the infinite atmospheric variations of the Normandy coast into his art, Auburtin was enraptured by the moment when the sun crowns the clouds.