Etretat, gate of Aval: Fishing boats leaving the harbor by Claude Monet

Claude Monet painted Etretat, gate of Aval: Fishing boats leaving the harbor in 1885. Seen at a distance from an elevated point of view, the imposing form of the Falaise d'Amont assumed a more gentle aspect.

Claude Monet's Etretat, gate of Aval: Fishing boats leaving the harbor is an oil on canvas (23-5/8x31-7/8 inches) housed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France

Monet further softened the effect with a muted palette of violet-tinted grey. The aqua water flows up against the pink-tinged sands and then out from the coast, nearly merging with the misty horizon. The boats cast deep red and brown shadows on the water, tracing their path away from the shore.

The next year Claude Monet would revisit his characteristic theme of cliffs and rock formations. See Monet's looming Rocks at Belle-Isle, Port-Domois in the next section.

For more about art, famous artists, and art history, check out:

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