Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect (Le Parlement, effet de soleil)

Having already explored the play of water and light, Claude Monet took up the challenge of capturing the transformative beauty of London’s fog and smoke. During three winter painting trips from 1899 to 1901, he executed a number of works along the banks of the Thames. Stationing himself on the balcony of Saint Thomas’ Hospital, across the river from his subject, he substituted one canvas for another—nineteen in all—as changing weather and light conditions dictated. The Houses of Parliament emerge as a massive silhouette amid the late-afternoon gloom. Rays of pale sunshine break through at the upper right and shimmer on the water below in overlapping strokes of color.