View of Vétheuil

The View of Vétheuil is one of the first acquisitions of modern painting made by the new director Hugo von Tschudi in Paris. Julius Meier-Graefe saw the picture in March 1898 in the newly arranged halls of the Nationalgalerie and noted: “This Monet seems to me the most valuable of the French paintings. It is a very rare picture; ... it is a delicate Monet, but in its almost Rococo-like delicateness of line and color it has all the irresistible infallibility of all the paintings by this master.” By describing it in unusual terms as “Rococo-like” Meier-Graefe grasped a characteristic feature of Monet’s art around 1880. Both summer and winter views of Vétheuil are distinguished by a new pastel-like colorfulness. The technique is livelier than in the 1870s; decisive little colored dashes are evidence of the painter’s firm sure brushstroke. This gives some works an almost decorative touch and makes them seem oddly cheerful.