Women at the Garden at Ville d'Avray by Claude Monet

Claude Monet completed Women at the Garden at Ville d'Avray in 1867. Determined to paint outdoors on a grand scale, Monet dug a trench and used a pulley to raise and lower this huge canvas of four women in a sun-drenched garden.

Claude Monet's Women at the Garden at Ville d'Avray (100-3/4x81-7/8 inches) is an oil-on-canvas work housed at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

With the light dappling patterns on the women's fashionable gowns, the work expressed an urbane spirit, prompting French journalist Emile Zola to declare Monet had an exacting eye for contemporary life. Monet's partner, Camille, posed for the three figures on the left.

For his next work, Monet not only captured another beautiful outdoor scene, but also visible movement in Garden at Sainte-Adresse, shown on the following page.

To learn more about art, famous artists, and art history, check out:

• How Art Works
  
• Impressionism
  
• Michelangelo
  
• Vincent van Gogh