Valley of the Creuse (Gray Day)  1889

One of the first Monets to join the MFA collection, this view into the valley of the River Creuse in France’s Massif Central region demonstrates the artist’s revolutionary use of color—deep purples, reds, and blues—to evoke three-dimensional shape and shadow. Monet’s fascination with instantaneity and the changing effects of light and weather led him to return again and ag...