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Blue silhouette of the Houses of Parliament in fog, with a pale sun above and orange reflections on the river

Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect in the Fog

Claude Monet, 1904

What you see

The Parliament building stands against the river as a blue shadow, with no detail at all. A tall square tower topped with small pinnacles rises just right of center, while the rest of the building stretches out in a low band. Up above, the sun barely pierces the fog, and the eye drops from it to its reflection on the water.

Everything is wrapped in violets, blues and pinks, without firm edges. The water is made of short horizontal strokes of orange and red that glint against the blue. Look up to where the sun is only a pale yellow swirl in the rosy haze, and find the dark blue signature in the lower left corner.

About Claude Monet

Claude Monet went outdoors to paint light exactly as he saw it at each moment. He painted the same place many times, in the morning, at noon or in fog, to show how colours change. In his garden at Giverny he created a water-lily pond that he painted for thirty years.

All 12 works by Claude Monet

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