The Departure of the Boats, Étretat

The Departure of the Boats, Étretat from 1885 at the Art Institute of Chicago captures the daily working life of the Étretat fishing fleet — the traditional flat-bottomed fishing vessels that launched through the breaking surf on the shingle beach — providing human activity and narrative momentum in what might otherwise be a purely atmospheric coastal subject. Monet had been visiting Étretat across the mid-1880s winters, working systematically through the range of conditions and viewpoints the site offered. The departure of the boats at dawn or early morning was among the most visually dramatic regular events at Étretat: the heavy boats pulled down the steep shingle beach on runners, then launched into the surf with coordinated effort. Boudin had painted Étretat fishing boats, and Monet's engagement with the same subject acknowledges the tradition of documenting working maritime life that his Norman mentor had established. The Art Institute's holding of this canvas enriches its Monet collection with a figurally active coastal subject alongside the more purely atmospheric works.

Monet's brushwork is fluid and instinctive, breaking surfaces into interlocking dabs and strokes of pure color that blend optically at viewing distance. His palette captures the chromatic complexity of natural light — lavenders in shadow.