Île aux Fleurs near Vétheuil

This is one of two views of the Île aux Fleurs, an island in the Seine near Vétheuil, that Monet painted in the summer of 1880. The other, slightly larger version is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. A variety of formal problems engaged the artist's attention during this period. Here the rapid, flickering brushstrokes create a strong pattern in the foreground that diminishes the illusion of space and emphasizes the abstract character of the painted surface.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

painting by Claude Monet (Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art)