Cat. 25  The Petite Creuse River, 1889

Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago

At the top, a pale blue sky meets rolling blue‑green hills, with a small tree silhouette on the distant ridge near center. The middle and left areas are taken up by a steep, rocky slope in purples and dark blues that runs diagonally downward to the right. Along the lower half, a narrow valley floor with light blue and gray patches stretches across, bordered on the right by two small yellow‑green trees; the hills are large compared with the trees.

Cat. 25

The Petite Creuse River^[1]
1889^[2]
Oil on canvas; 65.9 × 93.1 cm (25 15/16 × 36 5/8 in.)
Signed: Claude Monet (lower left, in orange-red paint)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Potter Palmer Collection, 1922.432

Technical Report
Provenance
Exhibition History
Selected References
Other Documentation

Genesis of the Creuse Campaign

Writing to his artist friend Auguste Rodin at the beginning of March 1889, Claude Monet mentioned an upcoming trip he was planning to the Creuse Valley in central France (fig. 25.1). He confided to Rodin that he anticipated doing “astounding things” there.^[3] He had recently been to the area for the first time, accompanying his journalist friend and future biographer Gustave Geffroy on a trip to visit the poet Maurice Rollinat at his home. Geffroy had known the poet for years and had written a long and favorable review of Rollinat’s Les névroses: Les âmes, les luxures, les refuges, les spectres, les ténèbres when it was published.^[4] The group also included Louis Mullem, editor of La justice, and the architect Frantz Jourdain. The reclusive Rollinat and his wife lived on the outskirts of the small hilltop village of Fresselines overlooking the confluence of the Petite Creuse and Grande Creuse rivers.^[5] Overwhelmed by the beauty of the region’s unspoiled terrain, Monet returned home after the weeklong excursion and immediately began preparing to return for a painting trip. Monet arrived in the region on March 7; the campaign lasted three months, much longer than Monet had estimated.^[6]1

Top area shows the United Kingdom with London, the North Sea, and the English Channel; to the right are the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The main map centers on France, labeling coastal towns Sainte-Adresse, Le Havre, Étretat, Fécamp, and Pourville, plus Giverny and Paris inland; the Bay of Biscay lies to the west and, to the southeast, Switzerland, Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, and Bordighera are labeled. Near central France, Fresselines is marked with a line leading to a rectangular inset at the bottom. The inset enlarges the area around Fresselines, showing the rivers La Creuse, Grande Creuse, La Petite Creuse, and La Sédelle, and the nearby town Crozant on a gray background. — Fig. 25.1

Map of France showing a detail of the Creuse Valley and the town of Fresselines. Mapping Specialists, Ltd., Madison, Wis.

Staying at a local inn, Monet often dined with Rollinat, whose melancholy nature and mood swings may have resonated with his own. During this trip the artist endured colds, cramps, chapped hands that required gelatin-lined gloves, and lumbago, while also suffering from enormous anxiety and fatigue. On May 14, a few days before leaving Fresselines to return to Giverny, he confided to his companion, Alice Hoschedé, “You will never know what I have suffered during this campaign. . . . I am at the end of my tether.”^[7] The result of his twelve weeks of struggle with the landscape, weather conditions, and health issues was a trove of twenty-four canvases.2

The art historian Paul Tucker was the first to fully recognize the significance of the Creuse campaign within the context of Monet’s career. In his groundbreaking exhibition and catalogue Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, Tucker identified the Creuse River works as the artist’s first self-consciously ambitious, rigorously intense, and planned—rather than empirically determined—group of paintings to date.^[8] These river scenes also mark the artist’s first consistent attempt to control the environment, a strategy he would employ in the later series of stacks of wheat, poplar trees, mornings on the Seine, and the water lily pond at his home in Giverny.
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Painting the Creuse Valley

Written while the artist worked intermittently from the end of winter through spring, Monet’s letters to Alice track the development of the motifs he had selected for these works, “morning and afternoon, sun and grey weather.”^[9] To what extent the artist may have reworked the canvases to ensure that they represented the meteorological conditions in which they were first conceived is unknown, but already within a few weeks of his return to Giverny, at least fourteen canvases were sufficiently finished to be included in the Monet-Rodin exhibition that year.4

The only vertical composition in this series, Valley of the Creuse at Fresselines (fig. 25.2 [W1218]), provides a road map for Monet’s selection and framing of the Creuse paintings.^[10] Unlike other canvases in the series, which focus on narrow views of locations along the river (e.g., fig. 25.3 [W1219]), Valley of the Creuse offers a broad view of the two rivers as they converge into one.^[11] The Petite Creuse moves from the lower right diagonally across the canvas to meet the Grande Creuse, which enters the picture from center left.^[12] The conjoined river (at center) then cuts right, left, and then again right, winding off through the hills in the distance.5

Pale yellow sky spans the top, meeting distant low hills in pink and light brown. A blue‑green river runs from the middle toward the bottom, narrowing in the distance and widening in the foreground, bordered by rust‑orange and yellow‑brown banks. Left side shows darker brown rocky slopes with clustered red‑brown shrubs, while the right side has smoother orange and gold slopes with scattered patches of green. — Fig. 25.2

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Valley of the Creuse at Fresselines*, 1889. Oil on canvas; 81 × 65 cm (31 7/8 × 25 5/8 in.). Sold, Sotheby’s, New York, May 7, 2008, no. 7.

At the top, a pale blue sky with gray-white clouds spans the scene. Below that, rolling hills and rocky slopes in purple-brown and green descend toward a valley, with a few small dark-green trees scattered along the ridges. In the foreground and lower right, a blue river with white ripples flows through the valley beside a steep dark brown and green cliff on the left. The river is wide compared with the small trees and rocks, and the near cliff is larger than the distant hills. — Fig. 25.3

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Valley of the Creuse (Sunlight Effect)*, 1889. Oil on canvas; 65.5 × 81.2 cm (25 13/16 × 31 15/16 in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 25.107. Photograph © 2014 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

After setting out the topographical details of this breathtaking and dramatic canyon-like ravine, with the rivers referred to as les eaux semblantes (“twinned rivers”),^[13] Monet moved to the far side of the hill seen at the bottom left of Valley of the Creuse at Fresselines and turned his easel toward the bulbous hill formation across the river, which extends out from the center left edge of the composition. A contemporary photograph of this same view shows how precisely Monet respected the general perspective and the relationship of the hulking form to the river cutting into it (fig. 25.4). The paintings in the series, ranging from the large (e.g., The Creuse, Dark Weather [1889; Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal (W1224)]) and the sunny (e.g., fig. 25.3) to the smaller sunset composition in the Musée Marmottan Monet (fig. 25.5 [W1225]), make up a significant portion of the output of the Creuse campaign (ten of the twenty-four) and were undoubtedly among the fourteen paintings that Monet claimed were in progress after less than a fortnight, before the weather turned “sinister.”^[14] Trapped indoors at the village inn at Fresselines, some three kilometers away from his chosen motif, he worried that the paintings would be too lugubrious and that he might have to start over when good weather returned.^[15]
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Black-and-white view of a river valley: a broad river runs from the lower center into the distance toward the right, bordered by steep, rocky slopes on both sides. Along the top edge, a line of small trees sits on the ridge; in the lower right foreground, a low bridge with two arches stands beside a dense, rounded tree on the bank. A printed caption at the bottom reads “FRESSELINES (Creuse) — Confluent des deux Creuses.” — Fig. 25.4

Postcard showing the confluence of the Creuse rivers at Fresselines, c. 1900. Reproduced from Paul Hayes Tucker, *Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings*, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 38, fig. 23.

At the top, a pale yellow and light gray sky sits above a long ridge colored with soft pink and lavender. Below, steep hills dominate the left and right sides, mostly dark green and purple with reddish patches, forming a narrow V-shaped valley. At the bottom center-right, a blue‑gray river curves through the gap, its surface broken by narrow bands of white and yellow reflections. — Fig. 25.5

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Valley of the Creuse, Evening Effect*, 1889. Oil on canvas; 65 × 81 cm (25 5/8 × 31 15/16 in.). Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris. Bridgeman Images.

The Petite Creuse Valley

The Art Institute’s painting and two closely related canvases (fig. 25.6 [W1230] and fig. 25.7 [W1232]) all show the Petite Creuse before it merges with the Grande Creuse.^[16] For this trio, Monet moved slightly upstream, repositioning himself so he could take in the hills sloping steeply in from the left with a solitary oak tree on the other side of the river. The fuller, rounded trees, visible from a higher vantage point on the far left in the vertical composition (fig. 25.2), can be seen to the right of the scraggly oak (fig. 25.8) in the Petite Creuse paintings.7

At the top, a pale blue sky meets a wide ridge of blue‑green hills. Along the left, a steep rocky slope in dark blue, green, and reddish-brown descends toward a narrow river that crosses the lower center, its surface dotted with light blue and white highlights. On the right, a few small trees with yellow‑green leaves stand by the water, with darker blue and green hillside behind them. The hills fill most of the scene, making the trees and river appear small in comparison. — Fig. 25.6

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Valley of the Petite Creuse*, 1889. Oil on canvas; 65.4 × 81.3 cm (25 3/4 × 32 in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 25.541. Photograph © 2014 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

At the top, pale blue sky with light cream clouds. Beneath it, a long rounded hillside in blue, green, and violet tones runs left to right, with a small shrub-like shape along the ridge near the center. In the lower half, a dark brown and maroon rocky slope fills the left foreground; across the middle lies a lighter ground with streaks of gray and yellow, and near the center-right stands a small tree with yellow-orange leaves beside a thicker cluster of green and yellow foliage at the right edge. The hillside is large in scale compared with the small tree and shrubs. — Fig. 25.7

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Sunlight on the Petite Creuse*, 1889. Oil on canvas; 73 × 92 cm (28 3/4 × 36 1/4 in.). Private collection.

Top area shows a broad blue and violet sloping backdrop with lighter streaks. Below it, the ground is mottled in green, purple, and blue. On the left stands a thin tree with small yellow‑green leaves and, near the center, a low dark green shrub. The right side is filled by a large, dense mass of foliage in green and yellow with touches of teal and pink. — Fig. 25.8

Detail of trees in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Instead of monumental mounds silhouetted against the sky, triangles of cascading strips of color suggest the rocky slopes. These “rivulets of contrasting color”^[17] indicate, in the lower right of the composition, the point at which the river bends and flows toward the confluence. Similar to the hill paintings of the Creuse Valley, each of the Petite Creuse trio shows the effects of sunlight and shadows hitting the face of a hill or cliff, seen particularly in the indentations of the natural crevices with their purple hollows.8

For the Art Institute’s version of the Petite Creuse, Monet made only a few adjustments. Following his usual working method, he laid in the basic composition thinly and then built up the forms with individual strokes of paint applied in different lengths and directions (fig. 25.9). The brushstrokes were often applied wet-in-wet, which suggests that he painted quickly; in some cases a single stroke included multiple colors (e.g., fig. 25.10), indicating little or no mixing on the palette (see Technical Report). In a related sketchbook drawing (fig. 25.11 [D361]), Monet seems to have conceived the Petite Creuse canvases as compositions based on large triangular forms.^[18] In the paintings, the ridges are color coded according to the time of day, with the Art Institute’s palette being closest to Valley of the Creuse (Sunlight Effect) (fig. 25.3). In both, dark pinks and purples were used for the nearest hill; neon greens, yellows, and lavenders for the middle and sunlit hill; and a medley of blues, turquoises, and pinks for farthest. In the Art Institute’s painting, counterbalancing the long horizontal strokes used to suggest the cascading crevices of this rugged terrain are the flicks of color applied in smaller touches to suggest rippling waters (see Technical Report). Swirls of neon green in the tree shaped like a dinosaur and in its larger, fuller neighbor on the landmass at middle right echo patches of a similar green on the opposite hillside (fig. 25.12). Monet added as finishing flourishes intensely colored strokes, rendered with an extremely light touch, which skip across the canvas and enliven the surface (fig. 25.13). The result has a woven, skein-like quality with an extraordinarily high-hued palette.^[19] Even when compared to the “terrible savagery” of the Belle-Île paintings (1886; see cat. 24)—a preceding campaign with difficult terrain and unpredictable weather that Monet likened to the conditions he experienced while in the Creuse—the brushwork and palette that resulted in the vibrating surfaces seen in these Petite Creuse paintings were a new development.^[20]
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Top area shows mottled blue with clusters of tan and orange-beige. Across the center, wide curved bands of pink and red run diagonally from left to right, edged by darker maroon. Bottom section is mostly deep blue and violet with scattered tan specks and shallow pits. A black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm sits at the lower right, indicating a very small field of view. — Monet 22.432 MIC 16

A small scene sits in the lower-left corner against a large black background. At the top of the scene is a pale blue band, and below it a broad sloping area fills most of the view in purples, blues, and pinks. Darker patches cluster toward the lower left, with lighter streaks across the middle and right. A small black rectangular outline appears near the lower right of the scene. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.9

Photomicrograph of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the individual brushstrokes of paint used to build up the hill on the left. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

A magnified view shows a small surface with a 2.0 mm scale bar at the top right, dominated by deep blue with scattered cream yellow raised ridges. From left to right, the blue area on the left has irregular yellow-beige clumps; the center contains vertical bands of pale green, yellow, and white with thin red and blue stripes; the right side shifts to orange and tan tones with blue-green specks. The surface is uneven with raised ridges and lumps, and the colored bands are tiny relative to the 2.0 mm scale. — Monet 22.432 MIC 24

A large black background fills the top and right, covering most of the frame. In the bottom-left, a multicolored rectangular section shows dense patches of blue, purple, green, and yellow, with lighter lavender near its top edge. Near the lower-right of this colored section, a small black-outlined box frames a tiny area of pale green and gray. The colored section occupies roughly a quarter of the overall frame, and the boxed area is very small in comparison. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.10

Photomicrograph of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the multiple colors present in a single brushstroke in the trees on the far right. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Pale tan two-page spread with a vertical crease down the middle, covered in light gray wavy and curved lines. From top to bottom, broad rounded outlines span the upper left and right, leading to a denser cluster of short, darker lines in the mid to lower center, with sparser marks toward the lower right and edges. A small “20” is visible near the upper right corner. — Fig. 25.11

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Valley of the Creuse near Fresselines*, 1889 (carnet 6, folio 20v and 21r). Graphite on paper; 23.5 × 31.5 cm (9 1/4 × 12 7/16 in.). Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, 5129. Giraudon/Bridgeman Images.

Top area is mostly blue and teal with some lavender and light blue streaks. Center shifts to a dense mix of yellow‑green, turquoise, and small touches of pink and orange, concentrated more on the right side. Bottom section darkens to purples and deep greens with a few brighter blue and green patches on the left, and a narrow light beige vertical strip runs along the far right edge. — Fig. 25.12

Detail of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing the small dinosaur-shaped tree between the oak and the large full trees at middle right. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

At the top, a narrow band of pale blue and white spans the width. Below it, a broad curved band fills most of the view in blue, turquoise, and purple, with a thin line of light green along its upper edge. The lower left is darker purple-blue with irregular shapes, while the lower right shifts to blue dotted with small patches of yellow, green, and orange. — Fig. 25.13

Detail of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing swirling brushstrokes seen in the hill in the background. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

The Old Oak

It is likely that Monet began the three Petite Creuse canvases before April 13, when he was forced to suspend work for three weeks because of a combination of health-related issues and bad weather.^[21] By the time Monet returned to the location in early May, springtime had arrived, and he found the landscape radically changed. The spring thaw had caused the river to rise, and the sun reflecting off the drop of the river was blindingly bright.^[22] Some trees had been cut down and some had sprouted leaves, including the oak tree just right of center in the Petite Creuse trio. Monet had laid in both this tree and its fuller companions, along with the tree at the top of the hill, early on (fig. 25.14). For Monet the oak tree, marking a bend in the Petite Creuse, played the “lead role” compositionally in the three Petite Creuse paintings.^[23]10

Top edge shows a light gray band with soft streaks; below it, a large dark gray ridge or hillside slopes diagonally from upper left to lower right and fills most of the space. Across the lower third, a lighter gray area with many short, horizontal marks sits at the base of the slope. White L‑shaped brackets appear at all four corners with small notches along the borders, framing the view. — Fig. 25.14

X-ray of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing that the trees were added at an early stage of the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

The gnarled oak tree was essential to Monet’s emotional and aesthetic attachment to this site: not only did it impart a rhythm and pattern to the surface, it conveyed a mood. So important was the tree’s nature as he first encountered it to his concept that he determined to undo nature itself. Instead of accepting the seasons’ effects and reworking or even restarting the canvas accordingly, Monet intervened to reverse them.^[24] Hiring workers to scale ladders to defoliate the tree, Monet re-created its winter appearance.^[25]11

In addition to modifying the actual oak tree, Monet made a few changes to his painted composition: giving a little more volume to the tree at right, adding a dip in the horizon line at far left (fig. 25.15), and raising the water level at the point where it meets the hill in the left foreground, which at one time extended farther into the Petite Creuse (fig. 25.15 and fig. 25.16). These compositional adjustments, along with the additional strokes of intense color added lightly to the surface (perhaps at the same time he added his signature and some additional brushstrokes, see Technical Report), suggest work done away from the motif and probably after his return to Giverny, where he edited and harmonized, rather than radically or substantially reworked the series.^[26]
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Pale blue sky spans the top, with a rounded hill crest and a small tree shape near the upper center. Across the middle, broad sloping hills fill most of the scene: the left slope is dark purple and brown, while the distant and right slopes are blue and green; near center-right, a small, thin tree with yellow-green leaves stands beside low vegetation. Along the bottom, a narrow valley floor runs left to right as a speckled area of light blue, gray, and white, and the large hills dominate the space, making the tree appear small. — Natural Light

At the top, a light gray sky spans the width with a faint brighter band near the horizon. Below it, a large dark hillside dominates, slanting from the upper left toward the middle right with dense, streaked textures. Along the bottom, a flat area in medium to dark grays shows horizontal streaks, with a small dark vertical shape near the lower center-right; a thin border with corner brackets and small tabs surrounds the scene. — X-Ray

Fig. 25.15

X-ray and natural-light overlay detail of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a change in the horizon line at the far right. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

Top area shows mixed dark blue with specks of light blue and white, plus a few pale green patches. Across the center, a wide band of deep purple runs left to right, edged by scattered off-white and tan blotches. Bottom area shifts to lighter blue and violet with more cream spots; a thin black line labeled 1.0 cm sits near the lower edge. — Monet 22.432 MIC 18

Top and most of the frame is solid black, with a small rectangular scene in the lower-left corner. Inside that rectangle, the upper area is filled with blue and light blue water; the left side and lower edge show sloping rocky shapes in purple, green, and brown, with more blue water on the right. A small black-outlined square sits over the right-center area of the water, and a thin light strip runs along the very bottom edge of the rectangle. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.16

Photomicrograph of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing that the hill on the left in the foreground extended farther into the water at an earlier stage of the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

The Significance of the Creuse Campaign

Apart from the physical strain Monet experienced while working in Fresselines, he was stricken by anxieties about his upcoming exhibition at Galerie Georges Petit, the opening of which was scheduled for June to coincide with the massive Exposition Universelle. For the first time in his career, Monet’s work was generously on display, and from his own choosing. He shared the show with Auguste Rodin, whose public commissions in the 1880s (notably Les bourgeois de Calais) had guaranteed the sculptor official and financial success at a time when Monet was still struggling. The Creuse canvases were created on the eve of this breakthrough exhibition, which consisted of 145 paintings by Monet paired with 36 sculptures by Rodin. The exhibition was neither chronological nor thematic; it included canvases from Monet’s painting trips at Belle-Île and Antibes from the 1880s, and fourteen Creuse paintings never previously on view and shown together for the first time as a self-contained set.^[27] These can be seen as a response to the myths springing up about him—as the artist of la France profonde, authentic France, and as the “methodical” artist who approached the landscape in a “mathematical” manner, a method as progressive as the science of his own times.^[28]13

The exhibition, a critical as well as commercial success for Monet, introduced him to an international audience and, in particular, to American collectors. Critics were effusive in their praise for both artists, recognizing the historic moment of two lions of the vanguard together in one exhibition. Monet’s landscapes were especially praised in general for their truthful evocation of specific times of day and changing atmospheric conditions: “No painter, in these times, has known, better than M. Monet, how to express the infinite variety of things, to represent their changing aspects, with their mobility, their form and their color, at the hour in which they appeared, [and] in their atmosphere and light.”^[29]14

Monet seems to have attached particular importance to the recently completed Creuse canvases. He hung the fourteen together as a group—this was the first time that he employed this strategy, one that he would go on to use throughout the 1890s and that indicates how much he valued them. Monet’s high regard for the series was reciprocated by critics like Paul Focher, despite their more challenging subject matter. Focher admired the “uncomparable majesty” and Octave Maus, leader of the Brussel-based avant-garde exhibition Les XX, esteemed the “extraordinary mastery” of the Creuse group.^[30] 15

In the Creuse Valley, factors ranging from ill heath to variable and severe weather conspired against Monet.^[31] Even though he talked about moving on to the valley of Crozant, a more popular spot for artists that was famous for picturesque ruins (fig. 25.17), Monet remained a prisoner to the Creuse Valley.^[32] Consequently after the “suffering” he had experienced while working there,^[33] and perhaps as a response to it, Monet turned his attention to subjects in close proximity to his home at Giverny, where he would be able to assert more control and pursue his aims more efficiently.^[34] Describing the lasting impact of the Creuse series, Tucker writes, “the Creuse pictures speak about certain fundamentals of art and nature in even stronger language than any previous group of paintings, fundamentals that once again would be critical to Monet’s series paintings of the next decade.”^[35]
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Across the top, a rocky ridge runs left to right, topped by several ruined towers and wall fragments that look small compared with the large hillside. Lower right, a river curves along the base of the ridge, with a narrow rocky shoreline. In the background are low, bare hills and an open sky, all in brown and beige tones. — Fig. 25.17

Placide Verdot (French, 1827–1889). *Ruines de Crozant*, 1875/80. Albumen print on cardboard; 29.3 × 39.4 cm (11 9/16 × 15 1/2 in.). Private collection. Reproduced from Jean-Marc Ferrer, *La photographie dans la Vallée de la Creuse au temps de l’impressionnisme (1875–1920)* (Ardents Éditeurs, 2013) p. 36.

Gloria Groom
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Technical Summary

Claude Monet’s The Petite Creuse River was executed on a pre-primed, no. 30 landscape (paysage) standard-size linen canvas. There is a stamp from the color merchant Troisgros Frères on the back of the original canvas. There is a single, off-white ground layer. A warp-thread match was detected with seven other Monet paintings from the Art Institute’s collection: Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer) (cat. 27 [W1269], inv. 1985.1103), Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) (cat. 28 [W1270], inv. 1933.444), Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) (cat. 29 [W1278], inv. 1922.431), Stack of Wheat (Thaw, Sunset) (cat. 32 [W1284], inv. 1983.166), Sandvika, Norway (cat. 34 [W1397], inv. 1961.790), Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist) (cat. 36 [W1475], inv. 1933.1156), and Water Lily Pond (cat. 37, [W1628], inv. 1933.441) suggesting that the fabric for these paintings came from the same bolt of material.^[36] The artist built up the composition from an initial lay-in that included both thin toning layers and long, impasted, lead white–rich strokes, which were used to block in the basic features of the landscape. The composition was worked up as a whole, using individual strokes and touches of color, which were often applied wet-on-wet but with little mixing or blending of brushwork on the canvas. A few minor adjustments were made along the edges of some of the main compositional elements, indicating slight modifications to stretches of the riverbank and the contours of some of the hills.^[37]18

Multilayer Interactive Image Viewer

The multilayer interactive image viewer is designed to facilitate the viewer’s exploration and comparison of the technical images (fig. 25.18).^[38]
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At the top, a pale blue sky meets rounded hills in blue and green, with a small tree near the crest. From left to center, a steep, dark rocky slope in purples and browns descends to a lighter, uneven valley floor mottled with blue‑gray. On the right, a small tree with yellow‑green leaves and nearby shrubs stand by the valley, with rolling hills continuing in the background. — Natural Light

At the top, a light gray sky stretches across, mottled with white. In the middle, a large dark gray landform slopes diagonally from left toward right, with streaky lighter lines; the lower area is flatter, showing mixed light and dark gray ripples and a small dark vertical shape near the center. Around the edges, white L-shaped corner brackets and small tick marks form a thin border. — X-Ray

From top to bottom, a light gray band spans the upper edge, and beneath it a broad hillside fills most of the scene, slanting from the upper left down toward the lower right. The surface is covered with irregular streaks and patches in medium and dark gray, with a few darker clusters scattered along the slope. The lower third appears flatter, marked by thin, horizontal pale gray lines near the bottom edge. — Infrared Reflectogram (1.0–1.1 µm)

At the top, distant rounded hills stretch across in dark blue-green tones. Moving downward, a steep rocky slope occupies the left and center, marked by streaks of brown, purple, and green. Near the bottom right, a small tree and low shrubs stand on rough, pale ground, the tree much smaller than the surrounding slopes; the lower left and bottom edges are in deep shadow. — Raking Light

A thick black border surrounds a large light‑gray rectangle. From top to bottom, the upper area is light gray with scattered dark streaks, a diagonal band of darker streaks crosses the middle from upper right to lower left, and the bottom third is the darkest with tightly packed, mostly horizontal marks. Colors are black, white, and gray only, and no distinct objects or figures are discernible. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Top shows a gray-blue sky above a rounded hill crest, with a small dark bush near the center. From left to center, a steep hillside dominates in dark reds, purples, and blues, descending into a low area of speckled gray-blue and pink near the bottom. On the right, a gentler green-and-yellow slope borders this low area, with a small tree and a few low bushes near the center-right that are much smaller than the surrounding hill. — Transmitted Light

Top band shows a dark blue sky above rounded hills in deep blue and purple. From left to right across the middle, steep purple-blue slopes dominate, descending toward the center. Bottom center holds a small body of water in bright blue and teal, bordered by darker violet ground. Colors are mainly dark blues, purples, and magentas, with lighter turquoise highlights near the water. — Ultraviolet

Fig. 25.18

Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

Signature

Signed: Claude Monet (lower left, in orange-red paint^[39]) (fig. 25.19). The signature was applied when some of the underlying paint was still wet (fig. 25.20). A final stroke of green paint from the hill passes over the bottom of the t at the end of the signature (fig. 25.21). This suggests that some final strokes were added to the painting both before and after it was signed.
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From left to right, a narrow horizontal section shows diagonal streaks of purple, violet, pink, and blue with some gray. Across the center, orange-red cursive text reads “Claude Monet,” spanning most of the width. Near the right edge, small touches of green and additional orange appear among the purple strokes. The surface looks visibly textured with overlapping colors. — Fig. 25.19

Detail of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing the signature. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

At the top, a thin black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm runs horizontally near the right side. Across the center from left to right, thick textured orange lines form an “M” shape on a dark blue surface, with several thin orange strands extending downward. Small white specks and fine light lines are scattered over the blue, and a small patch of lighter purple appears near the lower left corner. The orange shape spans most of the width of the scene. — Monet 22.432 MIC 8

Top and middle areas are solid black. Along the bottom, a narrow band shows diagonal streaks of purple, pink, blue, gray, and small patches of green and orange-red. From the lower left toward the center, red-orange letters spell “Claude Monet,” with a small black square framing part of the letters near the middle. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.20

Photomicrograph of the signature of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing wet-in-wet paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

At the top, a thin black bar labeled “0 cm” runs horizontally. Below it, a rough, pitted surface shows broad areas of color: purple along the left and right edges, a wide vertical orange band slightly left of center, and tan to light brown around it. At right center, layered green patches sit over tan and purple, while the lower left has diagonal purple streaks. Small white flecks and black specks are scattered throughout, with no figures or distinct objects present. — Monet 22.432 MIC 14

Top three-quarters are solid black. Along the bottom edge, a narrow horizontal band shows diagonal streaks of purple, pink, blue, gray, and green; near the lower left, red‑orange letters spell “Claude Monet.” At the lower right of this band, a small black‑outlined rectangle frames an area with brighter green and orange marks. No people or distinct objects appear elsewhere. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.21

Photomicrograph of the signature of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a green brushstroke that overlaps the red paint of the signature. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Structure and Technique

Support

Canvas
Flax (commonly known as linen).^[40]21

Standard format
The original dimensions were approximately 65 × 92.5 cm. This corresponds closely to a no. 30 landscape (paysage) standard-size canvas (65 × 92 cm).^[41]22

Weave
Plain weave. Average thread count (standard deviation): 23.3V (0.6) × 22.4H (0.8) threads/cm. The vertical threads were determined to correspond to the warp and the horizontal threads to the weft.^[42] A warp-thread match was found with seven other Monet paintings in the Art Institute’s collection: Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer) (cat. 27 [W1269], inv. 1985.1103), Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) (cat. 28 [W1270], inv. 1933.444), Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) (cat. 29 [W1278], inv. 1922.431), Stack of Wheat (Thaw, Sunset) (cat. 32 [W1284], inv. 1983.166), Sandvika, Norway (cat. 34 [W1397], inv. 1961.790), Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist) (cat. 36 [W1475], inv. 1933.1156), and Water Lily Pond (cat. 37 [W1628], inv. 1933.441).^[43]23

Canvas characteristics
There is regular, fairly even cusping on all four edges; it is slightly more pronounced on the left and right sides.24

Stretching
Current stretching: Dates to 1965 treatment (see Conservation History); copper tacks spaced approximately 8 cm apart. There is a series of small pinholes, spaced roughly 9–12 cm apart. Some are on the current foldover, but this likely would have been part of the original tacking margin. Their origin and purpose are unknown.25

Original stretching: Tack holes, spaced approximately 5–8 cm apart, correspond to the cusping pattern.26

Stretcher/strainer
Current stretcher: ICA spring stretcher. Depth: 2.5 cm.27

Original stretcher: Discarded/not documented. Depth: Based on a second crease in the tacking margins, where it looks like excess canvas was folded over the back face of the original stretcher, the original stretcher depth was approximately 1.5 cm.28

Manufacturer’s/supplier’s marks
There is a supplier’s stamp on the back of the original canvas, which was photographed before the painting was lined in 1965 (see Conservation History):29

COULEURS FINES / PANNEAUX / TOILES / TROISGROS Frères / PARIS / 35, RUE DE LAVAL / 105 RUE CARDINET^[44] (fig. 25.22). The transmitted-infrared image shows that the stamp is located on the midright side of the back of the painting (fig. 25.23).
30

A brown, slightly mottled surface shows black stenciled French text near the center. From top to bottom, the lines read: “COULEURS FINES,” “PANNEAUX,” “TOILES,” with “TROISGROS Frères” stamped diagonally across the middle; below are “PARIS,” “35, RUE de LAVAL,” and “105 RUE CARDINET.” The text is medium-sized relative to the surface, mostly horizontal except for the diagonal name. — Fig. 25.22

Photograph taken c. 1965 of a Troisgros Frères supplier’s stamp on the back of the original canvas of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

From top left to bottom right, wide dark gray streaks run diagonally across a field of light to medium gray. Near the center, a narrow vertical band of clustered small dark marks forms a column bordered by lighter gray areas. The top right and bottom left contain lighter gray zones with scattered smudges and short streaks. No people or distinct objects are present. — Fig. 25.23

Transmitted-infrared (Fuji, 1.0–1.1 µm) image of Monet’s *Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn)* (1890/91) showing the placement of the supplier’s stamp on the midleft side (from front) of the canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Preparatory Layers

Sizing
In UV light, evidence of a light-blue fluorescence between the canvas and the ground suggests the presence of an organic layer, possibly glue sizing (fig. 25.24).^[45]
31

Across the top edge, a dark blue field sits above a thin, pale gray-white layer. Through the center, a wide wavy band of many thin gray to light-brown layers runs left to right, with rounded, mottled gray clusters located at several peaks and troughs. The bottom area is medium to dark blue, and a white scale bar in the lower right reads 100 µm. — Monet 22.432 x1339_10x_UV_d

A large black background fills most of the frame, with a small rectangular landscape picture in the bottom-left. Across the small picture, a pale blue sky sits above rolling green and purple hills; a rocky slope lines the left, and a cluster of green trees is on the right. At the bottom, a narrow valley with many light-colored stones spans the foreground, with a slender tree near the center-right. — Sample Location

Fig. 25.24

Photomicrograph in UV light of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a light-blue fluorescence below the off-white ground layer. Original magnification: 100×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1158.

Ground application/texture
The ground layer extends to the edges of all four tacking margins, indicating that the canvas was cut from a larger piece of primed fabric, which was probably commercially prepared. The ground consists of a single layer that ranges in thickness from approximately 10 to 90 µm, with the layer thicker in the interstices of the canvas weave and much thinner on the tops of the canvas threads in the samples analyzed (fig. 25.25).
32

Top edge shows an uneven, thick white band running horizontally. Beneath it, curving brown layers form wave-like arcs from left to right, with rounded, darker brown clusters within the layers; the bottom area is dark gray to black. A scale marker at the lower right reads 100 µm. — Monet 22.432 x1339_10x_DIC_d

A large black area fills most of the frame, with a small rectangular landscape scene in the bottom-left corner. From top to bottom within that scene: a pale blue sky sits above rounded green hills; the left side shows a steep rocky slope in muted purples and browns; the right side has green trees. In the foreground, rocky ground with scattered light gray stones stretches across the bottom, with a small tree near the center; the hills are large in scale compared to the trees. — Sample Location

Fig. 25.25

Photomicrograph of a cross section of the ground and canvas layers of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889). Original magnification: 100×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Color
The ground is off-white (fig. 25.26). Microscopically, a few dark and possibly red particles were observed.33

A tan, bumpy surface fills the frame, covered with many small rounded bumps arranged in irregular horizontal rows. From top to bottom, colors range from light tan to slightly darker tan, with scattered off-white patches and tiny dark brown specks. A black scale bar labeled 2.0 mm sits in the top-right corner, showing that the bumps are well under a millimeter across, with narrow cracks running between them. — Monet 22.432 MIC 3

Mostly black frame with a small square colored area in the bottom-left. Inside that square, the top portion is light blue and gray; below it, a wide curved band of blue and purple sweeps from the lower left toward the center-right with touches of green and small hints of yellow-orange, and the bottom edge shows deeper blues and purples. A thin beige vertical strip runs along the square’s right edge, with a small black rectangular shape overlapping that edge near the middle. The colored square takes up roughly a quarter of the overall frame. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.26

Photomicrograph of the upper right edge of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the ground layer. Original magnification: 100×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Materials/composition
Analysis indicates that the ground contains lead white and calcium carbonate (chalk) with traces of bone black, iron oxide, alumina, silica, and various silicates.^[46] Binder: Oil (estimated).34

Compositional Planning/Underdrawing/Painted Sketch

Extent/character
No underdrawing was observed with infrared reflectography (IRR) or microscopic examination.35

Paint Layer

Application/technique and artist’s revision
The main parts of the composition were worked up simultaneously, with only minor adjustments made along the borders in some places. The artist moved freely between the background and foreground, building up the composition as a whole. The initial lay-in involved the use of both thin toning layers and a few long, impasted strokes. Some time passed between this stage and the building up of the painting since the thick ridges of the underlying strokes were dry when subsequent paint was applied on top, contributing to the final surface texture of the painting (fig. 25.27). The painting was built up using individual touches of color, often applied wet-on-wet (fig. 25.28). Sometimes, multiple colors were picked up on the brush and laid down in a single stroke (fig. 25.29). The sky is the only area of the painting where there is some blending of the brushwork (fig. 25.30).
36

From top to bottom, a rough, ridged surface is dominated by deep blue with scattered lighter blue flecks. Across the center, a curving beige band runs diagonally left to right with small touches of pink, orange, and light blue, bordered by darker blue areas. Toward the bottom, blue mixes with beige and gray-green in layered streaks, and a scale bar at the lower right is labeled 5.0 mm. — Monet 22.432 MIC 15

Most of the frame is black. In the lower-left, a small rectangular scene shows blue water filling the upper and right areas and a rocky shoreline along the left and bottom. The rocks are large, uneven forms in dark purple, pink, and green, and the water is mottled blues with touches of white and light green. A small black square sits slightly above center within the water area. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.27

Photomicrograph of the water in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top area shows mottled blue with scattered tan and orange patches on a rough, pitted surface. Through the center runs a diagonal band of pale pink and red streaks, bordered by darker blue and small dark specks, narrowing as it moves right. The bottom area is dominated by deep purple with scattered tan flecks. A scale bar labeled 5.0 mm appears at the lower right. — Monet 22.432 MIC 16

Top band is pale blue with light patches. Below it, a diagonal expanse of purples, blues, and pinks fills most of a small panel, with darker streaks and a few small green spots; a thin beige border runs along the panel’s top and left edges. The panel sits in the lower-left corner of a large black background, and a small black rectangular outline appears near the lower-right area of the colored section. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.28

Photomicrograph of the hill in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the buildup of the paint layers with some wet-on-wet paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top to bottom, a dark blue surface is scattered with irregular beige ridges. Near the upper center curving toward the right, a band shows thin stripes of white, teal, yellow, red, and blue bordered by pale green and cream. The right side contains a rounded area of orange and tan with fine dark speckles, while the left side shows more beige ridges over blue. A 2.0 mm scale bar at the upper right indicates these features are only a few millimeters across. — Monet 22.432 MIC 24

Top and right sides are solid black. Bottom left holds a rectangular area of blended color, mostly blues and purples with patches of green, yellow, and orange, arranged in loose diagonal bands from upper left to lower right. Near the right side of this colored area, a small black-outlined rectangle frames a light green and yellow patch. The colored section occupies roughly a quarter of the frame, with the black background taking the rest. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.29

Photomicrograph of a tree in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a brushstroke consisting of several unmixed colors. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top and right areas are mostly pale blue with hints of light gray and lavender. From the lower-left corner, a diagonal band of purples, blues, and small touches of green rises toward the center. Darker blue occupies the bottom edge. A thin beige strip runs along the far right edge. — Fig. 25.30

Detail of the sky in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing some light blending of the brushstrokes. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

The hills were laid in using very thin applications of relatively dark color, which served as a general toning layer. The brushwork of these initial layers is not continuous, and it varies in hue from reddish-purple to brown (fig. 25.31), although the distant hill consists of fairly continuous brushwork, which makes it difficult to see the earlier paint layers. The highlighted areas of the hills were created using lead white–rich paint mixtures (pale pink, yellow, and green) lightly dragged across the surface in a network of strokes, which were often pulled through the wet blue and green paint underneath (fig. 25.32). The lighter areas of the sky and the water, on the other hand, are due to either a light-colored underpainting or areas of exposed ground layer. The sky, for example, was laid in with an underlayer off-white to pale blue in color (fig. 25.33, fig. 25.34), which remains visible in places through breaks in the brushstrokes applied on top. The water was worked up, in a network of strokes, directly over the off-white ground layer (fig. 25.35): initially long, impasted, lead white–rich strokes were laid down horizontally. These were then broken up by the short strokes and touches of more intense blue, green, and yellow paint applied on top. When the painting is viewed in transmitted light, one can see that the far side of the river is less thickly built up and that many of the light-colored areas are actually exposed ground, whereas, on the near side, the highlights are thick dashes of white or light-colored paint applied to the surface (fig. 25.36). Both the tree on the top of the hill and the one at the edge of the landmass at right were laid in early on, based on the wet-in-wet application of the earlier strokes of the trees with the adjacent areas of sky and landscape, respectively. The foliage was then built up once the areas behind were well established. Some of the final touches to the painting included the intensely colored, curving strokes applied with such a light touch that they skip across the recesses of the paint texture. This can be seen in the reddish-brown strokes at the base of the right-hand tree (fig. 25.37) and in the deep green and blue strokes used to enliven the shadowed area of the distant hill (fig. 25.38).
37

Top area is mostly dark blue and purple with scattered light specks, and at the top right a small red-orange patch appears beside a white scale bar labeled 5.0 mm. Across the center runs a blue-violet band; the right side shows slanted blue‑gray shapes, while the lower half is mottled purple with many tiny pale dots. Bottom left contains small raised tan and peach shapes, and the bottom right corner is darker, nearly black. — Monet 22.432 MIC 23

Top and center are solid black, taking up most of the frame. Along the bottom is a narrow horizontal band of blue, white, and light green patches arranged in short, overlapping lines, with clusters of irregular forms in purple, pink, green, and dark gray along the lower and left edges. A small white rectangular outline near the lower-left frames a patch dominated by dark purples and blues. The colorful band covers roughly the bottom fifth of the overall image, with the black area filling the rest. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.31

Photomicrograph of the foreground hill in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a purple underlayer exposed through breaks in the brushstrokes. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top area shows a dense mix of light blue, light purple, and teal with small patches of pale pink and touches of yellow‑green. Diagonal bands run from upper left to lower right, with broad blue and purple streaks crossing thinner lines of pink and green. Bottom section is darker, mostly deep blue and purple with scattered lighter pink patches and bits of teal. The surface has uneven raised ridges and shallow grooves across all areas. — Fig. 25.32

Detail of the hills in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top and center are filled with a broad expanse of pale blue and light lavender, with faint patches of soft pink and white. Along the bottom edge, especially at the lower left, a narrow band of darker colors—purple, blue, green, and touches of yellow—runs diagonally and tapers toward the middle. No identifiable objects or figures are visible; the view shows large areas of color with subtle surface texture. — Fig. 25.33

Detail of the sky in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing a pale blue underlayer that is exposed through breaks in the brushstrokes. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top section shows a pale blue‑gray surface with many small off‑white raised spots scattered across it, densest near the upper middle. Moving downward, fine shallow grooves and scratches run diagonally, and a single very thin dark line extends roughly vertically near the center-left. The lower section remains blue‑gray with fewer bumps and more shallow pits and ridges. Along the lower right edge, a black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm provides size reference. — Monet 22.432 MIC 20

Pale blue sky occupies the upper half, with a thin black-outlined rectangle near the upper center-left. A low horizon runs across the scene; slightly left of center a small, dark bluish irregular shape sits on the horizon against the sky. The lower half is covered by broad, diagonal bands of green, teal, purple, and blue extending from left to right. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.34

Photomicrograph from the sky of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a pale-blue underlayer exposed through breaks in the brushstrokes. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

From top to bottom, sloped ground in blue, green, and purple leads down to a wide stretch of rippling water in blue, teal, and white. At the left, dark gray and purple rocks with reddish accents sit at the water’s edge. At the right, a slender gray-brown tree with small yellow-green leaves stands near the shore. The water occupies most of the space, making the rocks and tree appear small in comparison. — Fig. 25.35

Detail of the water in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

At the top, a pale blue-gray sky meets a rounded ridge with a single small tree near the center. Across the middle, a large hillside slopes down from left to right in deep reds and purples with patches of dark blue and green. At the bottom, a narrow valley floor in bluish gray runs horizontally, with a few small tree or shrub shapes on the right that appear much smaller than the hill. — Transmitted Light

From left to right, a steep rocky hillside in dark purples and browns slopes into a narrow valley. In the lower center, a pale blue and white stream or stony channel runs through, bordered by patches of green. On the right, a small tree with yellow‑green leaves stands near shrubs, and in the distance rounded blue‑green hills rise under a light blue sky with a small tree silhouette on the ridge. — Natural Light

Fig. 25.36

Transmitted-light and natural-light details of the river in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive Image.

Top-left to top-center shows broad areas of blue and teal with touches of purple, shifting toward the upper right into a mottled mix of green, yellow, and small orange accents. Center and right sections feature dense patches of green, yellow, and purple with soft, rounded shapes, while the lower area moves into darker purples and greens with streaks of blue. A thin beige strip runs along the far right edge. — Fig. 25.37

Detail of a tree in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing final brushstrokes of intense color lightly dragged across the surface. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top edge holds a narrow band of pale blue-gray that lightens toward the rim. Beneath it, the largest area is a sweeping diagonal band of cool colors—blue, teal, and violet—with rounded, looping shapes moving left to right. The lower left has darker purple and lavender patches, while the lower right shifts to smaller specks of yellow, green, and orange mixed with blue; these warm tones occupy a smaller area than the cool tones. — Fig. 25.38

Detail of a hill in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing final brushstrokes of intense color lightly dragged across the surface. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

A few small modifications were made to the edges of some of the forms in the painting stage. Some underlying, diagonal brushstrokes at the edge of the foreground hill at left indicate that its slope was originally more continuous; that is, without the dip that occurs near the bottom and that was created by extending the water further left in that area (fig. 25.39). The rocks at the bottom of the hill seem to have extended further right into the water when this area was initially laid in. This is evidenced by the dark brownish and purplish underpainting that is visible in the water in an area that follows the contour of the rocks (fig. 25.40, fig. 25.41). Strong horizontal strokes along the distant shoreline, seen in the X-ray (fig. 25.42), suggest that the shoreline was originally placed slightly higher. Similarly, the boundary between the river and the landmass at right may also have been slightly modified. Comparison of the X-ray with the surface image suggests that the river may have originally been broader in that area (fig. 25.43). At the extreme right, it looks like the hilltop was initially painted in with a more gradual slope at the right edge. Paint from the sky was then added over the edge of the hill, creating a slightly steeper incline (fig. 25.44). Foliage on the left side of the trees at the right edge was extended further to the left, on top of the already painted hills (fig. 25.45).
38

Upper area is a light gray band stretching left to right. A large, dark gray mass fills most of the left and center, slanting from the upper left toward the middle right with streaky textures, and a denser dark patch sits near the right edge. The lower third shows layered horizontal streaks in medium to light gray. White bracket-like markers appear at all four corners within a narrow border. — X-Ray

Top section shows a pale blue sky above rounded hills in greens, blues, and violets. From left to center, a steep slope in dark purples and browns drops into a narrow valley with a light blue‑gray, textured ground; a small tree with yellow‑green leaves stands near the center‑right, with thicker foliage along the far right edge. The hills cover most of the scene, making the tree look small, and a single rounded plant shape sits on the ridge near the top center. — Natural Light

Fig. 25.39

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a change made to the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

Close-up of a textured surface with uneven ridges and swirls. From top-left to top-right, mottled gray and blue dominate with small patches of cream and light purple; the center has a pale cream streak edged with pink and orange, surrounded by dark blue and gray. Along the bottom, deeper blues and grays mix with scattered bits of red, green, and white. — Fig. 25.40

Detail of a rock in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing dark paint visible through breaks in the brushwork of the water. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top section shows dark blue and teal areas with small off-white patches. A wide dark purple band runs horizontally across the center, bordered by lighter blue and beige specks. The bottom area features streaks of light and deep purple-blue with several irregular off-white raised spots. Near the bottom right, a thin horizontal line labeled “1.0 cm” appears. — Monet 22.432 MIC 18

Most of the frame is solid black. In the bottom-left corner, a small rectangular scene shows blue and turquoise water across the upper area, with a rocky shoreline in purple, green, and gray along the left side and bottom edge. Near the right side of this small scene, a thin black square outline sits over the water just above the shoreline. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.41

Photomicrograph of the river in Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a dark-purple underlayer from a rock that originally extended further into the water. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top section shows a light gray sky. Below, a broad, dark gray hillside spans diagonally from the upper left toward the lower right, filling most of the view. In the lower third, a band of mixed grays sits in front of the slope, with a small, darker vertical shape near center-right. The scene is in black, white, and grays, bordered by white bracket-shaped markers at the four corners and small tick marks along the edges. — X-Ray

Top shows a pale blue sky over rounded green and blue hills, with a small tree silhouette near the ridge. Along the left edge, a steep rocky slope in dark purple and brown descends diagonally toward the center. The middle and lower center form a narrow valley floor with light blue‑gray patches, and a small yellow‑green tree stands just right of center with additional shrubs at the far right. The hills occupy most of the space, while the trees are small in comparison. — Natural Light

Fig. 25.42

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a change made to the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

Rendered in shades of black, gray, and white. Along the top, a light gray band spans the width; below it, a broad dark gray slope rises from the lower left toward the upper right and occupies most of the center, while the bottom area has medium‑gray, streaked textures with a darker vertical shape slightly right of center. Four white, bracket‑like markers sit inside each corner within a darker border. — X-Ray

At the top, a pale blue sky sits above a rounded ridge in blue‑green and violet tones. From the left edge downward, a steep rocky hillside dominates in layers of purple, brown, and green; across the lower center lies a broad, flat area mottled with gray, blue, and pale green. Near the center‑right stands a small tree with yellow‑green leaves, with thicker foliage along the right edge; the large left slope reads as closest, while the ridge spans the background. — Natural Light

Fig. 25.43

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a change made to the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

At the top, pale blue sky meets rounded hills in green, blue, and violet, with a small tree or bush along the ridge near the center. From the upper left to the middle, a steep hillside descends, covered in purple, blue, and green tones. In the lower center and right, a narrow valley floor stretches back with light blue‑gray patches; two small yellow‑green trees stand near the middle and a denser cluster of foliage fills the right edge. — Natural Light

Top area shows a light gray band with soft, streaky tones. A large dark gray landform slopes from upper left toward lower right across the center, with dense diagonal textures; a darker rounded cluster appears near the right middle. The lower third is flatter, covered in mixed medium and light grays broken by many short horizontal marks, with a few small darker shapes near the lower left and center. White corner brackets and small rectangular tabs run along the outer edges. — X-Ray

Fig. 25.44

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a change made to the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432. Interactive image.

Top half shows a broad field of blue and purple with patches of teal. Right-center, occupying most of the height, is a tall vertical area of green, yellow, and orange that is darker at the base, with a smaller rounded green area near the lower left. Bottom section is mostly dark green and purple with scattered lighter green highlights, and colors transition from cooler blues at the top-left to warmer greens and yellows toward the right. — Fig. 25.45

Detail of a tree in Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing foliage that extends over the hill on the left side of the tree. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

A long, narrow impression, made when something was pressed against the paint while it was still wet, is visible near the top edge (fig. 25.46).^[47] This mark could be from an easel cleat or a case used for transporting the painting. It looks like some final, slightly more intense blue strokes were applied over this area of disturbed paint when it was already dry (fig. 25.47). Flattened areas of paint around the edges suggest that the work was framed when the paint was still soft (fig. 25.48).
39

Top area shows a wide band of pale blue and gray with horizontal wavy lines. The middle transitions to light bluish-white with curved ridges, while the lower third forms a thicker band of medium to dark blue with scattered touches of purple. On the right edge, small clustered marks in bright blue and purple sit above the lighter center. — Fig. 25.46

Detail of the top edge of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) showing a horizontal band of disturbed paint where something was pressed against the surface while it was still wet. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Top area shows a light purple, uneven surface with shallow grooves and scattered small bumps. Across the middle, clustered vertical ridges and pits create a rough band, with a few bright white specks where the surface catches light; small patches of pale beige peek through. Bottom section has flatter horizontal striations and a few rounded indentations. A black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm sits along the lower edge. — Monet 22.432 MIC 21

Most of the frame is solid black, with a rectangular colored section occupying about the lower-left quarter. The top of this colored section is a pale blue to lavender area, with a small black-outlined square near the upper-left and a darker bluish‑purple rounded cluster near the upper-right. Below that, layered wavy bands and swirls of blue, teal, purple, and pink fill the area left to right, with darker tones concentrated toward the lower-left corner. — Location Map

Fig. 25.47

Photomicrograph of the top edge of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing brushstrokes that overlap a horizontal band of disturbed paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

From left to right: a light gray, slightly wrinkled surface covers the left half, with a darker gray-brown vertical strip near the center. To its right, a tan to brown area has dense, small, rounded bumps forming a pebbled texture. A vertical scale bar along the far left is labeled 5.0 mm. — Monet 22.432 MIC 4

At the top center, a small rectangular detail shows a light gray-blue area with a narrow vertical tan strip along its right edge, all surrounded by black. Below, a larger rectangular scene has a light gray-blue region across the upper half and a broad curved band in the lower half made of blues and purples with streaks of green and small touches of yellow; a narrow tan strip runs down the right edge. A black outlined box on the right side of the larger scene marks a portion that matches the small detail above. — Detail Location

Fig. 25.48

Photomicrograph of the right edge of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing an area of flattened paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Painting tools
Brushes, including 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm width, flat ferrule (based on width and shape of brushstrokes).40

Palette
Analysis indicates the presence of the following pigments: lead white, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, vermilion, red lake, emerald green, viridian, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and a possible trace of bone black.^[48],^[49] UV fluorescence of pink and red strokes suggests the use of red lake throughout the landscape and in the signature.^[50] A paint sample from the dark, shadowed area of the rock, near the center of the bottom edge, shows the complex mixture of pigments that Monet used in this area (fig. 25.49).
41

Top area is mostly empty gray. From left to right across the center, a thin, uneven dark blue-green strip runs horizontally with many small bright specks in red, orange, yellow, and blue; it tapers at both ends and is slightly separated into two adjoining pieces near the left-center. The background is smooth light gray with a few tiny white particles near the lower left and right edges. A scale bar at the lower right labeled 50 µm indicates the strip is several times longer than that length. — Monet 22.432 x1447_20x_dkfld

A single rectangular landscape scene sits on a large black background at the left. Across the top, a pale blue sky meets a rounded ridge, with a small tree near the upper left. From left to right, steep rocky slopes in purple and dark green descend into a narrow valley scattered with light blue‑gray stones, with a slender tree near the center and denser green foliage on the right; colors are mainly soft blues, greens, purples, and touches of yellow. — Sample Location

Fig. 25.49

Photomicrograph of a cross section of the paint layers of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing a complex mixture of pigments. Original magnification: 200×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Binding media
Oil (estimated).^[51]42

Surface Finish

Varnish layer/media
The painting is currently unvarnished. The synthetic resin, applied in 1965, was removed in 2011. The painting was previously varnished in 1922 (see Conservation History).43

Conservation History

An undated memo in the conservation file indicates that the painting was cleaned and varnished in 1922.^[52]44

In 1965, the painting was cleaned, including removal of a “soft resin” varnish. The canvas was wax-resin lined and stretched on a new ICA spring stretcher. A spray coat of (PVA) polyvinyl acetate AYAA was applied, followed by a final spray coat of methacrylate resin L-46.^[53]45

In 2011, the layers of synthetic varnish applied in 1965 and residues of natural-resin varnish from earlier treatment were removed and the painting was left unvarnished.^[54]46

Condition Summary

Overall, the painting is in very good condition. The canvas is wax-resin lined and stretched taut and in plane on an ICA spring stretcher. There are two splits in the canvas (approximately 5 cm long) at the upper left foldover edge, and a tiny hole at the right side of the bottom edge. These areas are secure. There is minor abrasion to the ground and paint layers at the foldovers and in the frame rebate area. The paint layer is secure with only a couple of tiny losses near the edges. There is some slightly flattened and crushed impasto in a few places, probably the result of the lining procedure. There is some light cracking in areas of impasto and in the lead white-rich layers of the sky at upper right. A few small, localized areas of drying cracks are visible in the dark paint at lower left and lower right and associated with yellow-containing paint mixtures in the center foreground. Topped-off protrusions observed occasionally in the paint layer could be related to the presence of metal soaps (fig. 25.50). Starch-paste residues from the facing adhesive used in the lining procedure are visible over the surface, especially in the more textured areas of paint. Gold accretions from the frame are visible intermittently around the edges. The painting is currently unvarnished.
47

At the top, a black scale bar labeled 2.0 mm sits above a dark blue field crossed by wide orange-brown bands running diagonally from lower left to upper right. From left to right, the orange-brown bands vary in width and contain darker, closely spaced stripes. Across the surface, thin whitish cracks and many small bright specks are scattered. The dominant colors are dark blue and orange-brown, with occasional white highlights. — Monet 22.432 MIC 9

Top to bottom: a large black area fills most of the frame. Along the bottom edge, a narrow horizontal strip shows a multicolored, textured surface with diagonal streaks of purple, blue, pink, gray, and small touches of green and orange. Across this strip from left toward center, orange-red cursive text reads “Claude Monet,” with a small black square just after the first name. The colorful strip spans the width but occupies only a small fraction of the height. — Sample Location

Fig. 25.50

Photomicrograph of the signature of Monet’s The Petite Creuse River (1889) showing tiny white protrusions in the paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.432.

Kimberley Muir
48

Frame

Current frame (installed in 1995): The frame is not original to the painting. It is a reproduction of a Louis XIII convex frame, with carved leaf-tip back, plain face, and inner ribbon molding with ogee sight (Paul Mitchell Ltd., London, 1995). The frame is water gilded over red bole on gesso. The gilding is burnished throughout and toned with oil paint wash and glue size. The carved jelutong moldings are mitered and nailed. The molding, from perimeter to interior, is outer fillet with carved leaf-tip molding; cove; fillet with rocked recutting; convex face; fillet with rocked recutting; hollow; fillet with rocked recutting; torus with carved ribbon; fillet with rocked recutting; and ogee sight (fig. 25.51).^[55]
49

Previous frame (installed by 1975; removed in 1995): The work was previously housed in an American, mid-twentieth-century, gilded, wedge-profile frame with beaded outer edge, white cove sight, and an independent gilded liner (fig. 25.52).^[56]
50

A museum gallery wall displays four framed landscape scenes on an olive‑green wall. Left to right: a medium frame shows a reddish-brown conical stack in a pale field with a bluish background; in the center, two frames stacked vertically show, on top, a tan field with scattered green trees and one tall slender tree before blue hills and a light sky, and below, a rocky slope with green patches beside a narrow stream. On the far right, the largest frame shows two conical stacks in a field under a warm orange sky fading to purple-gray; the right piece is largest, the center pair are smaller, and the left painting is similar in size to the lower center one. — Fig. 25.52

Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) in a previous frame, installed in *Paintings by Monet*, Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Previous frame (removed by 1975): The work was previously housed in a late-nineteenth–early-twentieth-century, Louis XIV Revival, gilded, convex frame, with deeply cast plaster ornament and independent fillet liner with cove sight (fig. 25.53).^[57]
51

Foreground shows a large carved urn on a pedestal at left and a cushioned bench at right on a patterned floor. Midground features two tall columns framing an open room where dark garlands and a wreath hang along the upper edge, with several chairs, small tables, and settees arranged below. Background walls are densely covered with framed artworks of various sizes, including a few very large pieces; tones throughout are black, white, and gray. — Fig. 25.53

Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) in a previous frame (no. 1 in photograph), on display in the residence of Bertha Honoré Palmer and Potter Palmer. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Kirk Vuillemot
52

Acquired from [unknown] by Potter Palmer, Chicago.^[58]53

By descent from Potter Palmer (died 1902), Chicago, to the Palmer family.^[59]54

Given by the Palmer family to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.
55

Art Institute of Chicago, “A Century of Progress”: Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture for 1934, June 1–Oct. 31, 1934, cat. 220.^[60]56

University of Chicago, Lexington Hall, Nov. 17–Dec. 17, 1952, no cat.^[61]57

Park Forest (Ill.) Art Center, Mar. 25–Apr. 22, 1956, no cat.^[62]58

Art Institute of Chicago, The Paintings of Claude Monet, Apr. 1–June 15, 1957, no cat.no.^[63]59

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings by Monet, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975, cat. 83. (fig. 25.54)
60

A museum wall displays four framed landscape paintings arranged left to right in two rows. Far left: a small square scene with a brown, conical haystack on a pale ground with distant cliffs and a light sky. Center: the upper painting shows a flat field with scattered green trees and one tall central tree against blue hills; below it is a rocky brown slope beside a narrow blue‑gray stream with green shrubs. Far right: the largest painting shows two conical haystacks on open ground beneath an orange‑pink sky; frames are gold-toned on an olive-brown wall. — Fig. 25.54

Installation of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) in *Paintings by Monet*, Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Milwaukee Art Museum, 1888: Frederick Layton and His World, Apr. 8–Aug. 28, 1988, cat. 45 (ill.).61

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, Feb. 7–Apr. 29, 1990, cat. 8 (ill.); Art Institute of Chicago, May 19–Aug. 12, 1990; London, Royal Academy of Arts, Sept. 7–Dec. 9, 1990. 62

Art Institute of Chicago, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995, cat. 92 (ill.). (fig. 25.55)
63

Across a dark brown gallery wall, four gold-colored framed landscape paintings hang in a row, each with a small gray label. Left to right: a single tree beside blue water; pale trees with blue water beyond; a steep rocky slope with a narrow blue river below; a rounded hillside with green and orange foliage. A light brown herringbone wood floor and a low gray barrier run along the bottom, and a fifth, similar framed landscape is partly visible on the right wall. — Fig. 25.55

Installation of Monet’s *The Petite Creuse River* (1889) in *Claude Monet, 1840–1926*, Art Institute of Chicago, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Florence, Sala Bianca di Palazzo Pitti, Claude Monet: La poesia della luce; Sette capolavori dell’Art Institue di Chicago a Palazzo Pitti, June 2–Aug. 29, 1999, no cat. no. (ill.).64

Paris, Galeries Nationales, Grand Palais, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, Sept. 22, 2010–Jan. 24, 2011, cat. 83 (ill.).
65

Art Institute of Chicago, “Accessions and Loans,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 16, 3 (May, 1922), p. 47.66

Art Institute of Chicago, Handbook of Sculpture, Architecture, and Paintings, pt. 2, Paintings (Art Institute of Chicago, 1922), p. 68, cat. 836.^[64]67

Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1925), p. 147, cat. 836.^[65]68

M. C., “Monets in the Art Institute,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 19, 2 (Feb. 1925), p. 19.69

Art Institute of Chicago, Catalogue of “A Century of Progress”: Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, 1934, ed. Daniel Catton Rich, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1934), p. 38, cat. 220.70

Oscar Reuterswärd, Monet: En konstnärshistorik (Bonniers, 1948), p. 289.71

Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 33.72

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), p. 320.73

Grace Seiberling, “The Evolution of an Impressionist,” in Paintings by Monet, ed. Susan Wise, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 32.74

Susan Wise, ed., Paintings by Monet, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 140, cat. 83 (ill.).75

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), pp. 124; 125, cat. 1231 (ill.); 248, letters 975 and 976.76

Robert Gordon and Andrew Forge, Monet (Abrams, 1983), pp. 126–27 (ill.), 291.77

Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), pp. 138; 187, pl. 75.78

Milwaukee Art Museum, 1888: Frederick Layton and His World, exh. cat. (Milwaukee Art Museum, 1988), pp. 124–25, cat. 45 (ill.).79

Richard Kendall, ed., Monet by Himself: Paintings, Drawings, Pastels, Letters, trans. Bridget Strevens Romer (Macdonald Orbis, 1989), pp. 169 (ill.), 319.80

Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 47; 48, pl. 11; 50; 55; 295, cat. 8.81

Martha Kapos, ed., The Impressionists: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin/Macmillan, 1991), p. 333, pl. 105.82

Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), pp. 103, 114.83

Marianne Alphant, Claude Monet: Une vie dans le paysage (Hazan, 1993), p. 461.84

Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), pp. 39; 41 (detail); 42–43; 84, pl. 13.85

John Russell Taylor, Claude Monet: Impressions of France, from Le Havre to Giverny (Collins & Brown, 1995), pp. 7 (ill.), 101, 156.86

Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 113, cat. 92 (ill.).87

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 469–70, cat. 1231 (ill.).88

Genevieve Morgan, ed., Monet: The Artist Speaks (Collins, 1996), pp. 55 (ill.), 95.89

Carla Rachman, Monet (Phaidon, 1997), pp. 202–03, fig. 133; 204.90

Art Institute of Chicago, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in the Art Institute of Chicago, selected by James N. Wood (Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson Hills, 2000), p. 130 (ill.).91

Art Institute of Chicago, Treasures from the Art Institute of Chicago, selected by James N. Wood, commentaries by Debra N. Mancoff (Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson Hills, 2000), p. 110 (ill.).92

Simonella Condemi and Andrew Forge, Claude Monet: La poesia della luce; Sette capolavori dell’Art Institute di Chicago a Palazzo Pitti, exh. cat. (Giunti Gruppo, 1999), pp. 30–31 (ill.).93

Vivian Russell, Monet’s Landscapes (Frances Lincoln, 2000), pp. 96 (ill.), 160.94

Eric M. Zafran, “Monet in America,” in Wildenstein and Co., Claude Monet (1840–1926): A Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff, exh. cat. (Wildenstein, 2007), p. 143, fig. 62a.95

Gerhard Finckh, “Faszination Monet,” in Claude Monet, ed. Gerhard Finckh, exh. cat. (Von der Heydt-Museum, 2009), p. 23 (ill.).96

Richard R. Brettell, Paul Hayes Tucker, and Natalie H. Lee, The Robert Lehman Collection, Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Paintings, vol. 3 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/Princeton University Press, 2009), p. 221, fig. 5.97

Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of French Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2010; reprinted 2013), p. 121, cat. 60 (ill.).98

John House, “Le sujet chez Monet,” in Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d’Orsay, 2010), p. 25.99

Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d’Orsay, 2010), p. 217, cat. 83 (ill.).100

Richard Thomson, “Un naturalism d’émotivité, 1881–1891,” in Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d’Orsay, 2010), pp. 32–33 (detail).101

Richard Thomson, “À Belle-Île 1886; Dans la Creuse, 1889,” in Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d’Orsay, 2010), pp. 210, 211.102

Pierre Buvat, Sur les pas de Claude Monet à Fresselines, février-mai 1889: “De la perce-neige à l’églantine” (Nouvelle Picarle, 2011), (ill.).103

Christophe Rameix, Impressionnisme et postimpressionnisme dans la Vallée de la Creuse: The Crozant School, trans. Alain Decotigny (Christian Pirot/La Simarre, 2012), pp. 49 (ill.), 142.
104

Labels and Inscriptions

Undated

Label
Location: stretcher
Method: printed label with handwritten script and green ink inventory stamp
Content: THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO / CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60603, U.S.A. / To Monet, Claude / Torrent, Creuse / 1922.432
Stamp: Inventory – 1980 – 1981 (fig. 25.56)
105

At the top, a white rectangular label shows bold black printed words “THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO,” with smaller text below reading “CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60603, U.S.A.” Across the middle, a thin black line spans left to right with “To” at the left; to its right, gray handwriting reads “Monet, Claude” on one line, “Torrent, Creuse” on the next, and “1922.432” beneath. On the right side, a small round hole sits above teal stamped text “Inventory – 1980 – 1981,” with light smudges around it. The label’s corners appear slightly torn, and it rests on a brown surface. — Fig. 25.56

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO / artist Monet, Claude / title Torrent, Creuse, / medium oil on canvas / credit / acct.# 1922.432 (fig. 25.57)
106

Top center, large black text reads “THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO” on a white rectangular card. Below, a left column lists “artist,” “title,” “medium,” “credit,” and “acct. #” in smaller black type. To the right, the entries read “Monet, Claude”; “Torrent, Creuse”; “oil on canvas”; (credit line blank); and “1922. 432.” Colors are black text on a white background. — Fig. 25.57

Number
Location: stretcher
Method: handwritten script
Content: 1922.432 (fig. 25.58)
107

A narrow band of gray, textured surface runs along the top edge. Below it, a wide medium-brown surface with fine horizontal grain fills most of the view. Near the lower center, small dark numerals read “1922.432,” written left to right. — Fig. 25.58

Pre-1980

Stamp
Location: canvas
Method: stamp
Content: COULEURS FINES / PANNEAUX / TOILES / TROISGROS Frères / PARIS / 35, RUE DE LAVAL / 105 RUE CARDINET (fig. 25.59).
108

A brown, slightly mottled surface fills the scene, with black block letters in French. From top to bottom, the lines read “COULEURS FINES,” “PANNEAUX,” and “TOILES”; across the center a larger, bolder line slants upward reading “TROISGROS Frères,” with “PARIS” to its right. Near the bottom, smaller lines read “35, RUE de LAVAL” and “105 RUE CARDINET.” The central diagonal text is the largest element, while the other words are smaller and arranged in horizontal rows. — Fig. 25.59

Label
Location: pre-1965-treatment stretcher (discarded); transcription in conservation file
Method: not documented
Content: Maple & Co. (Paris) Ltd. – 5 Rue Boudreau – Paris / Mr. Potter Palmer Executor and Trustee of his Mother Mrs. Potter Palmer deceased / The Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 25.60)
109

Top left to right, black typewritten text on white graph paper with a light blue grid reads: Label pasted on crossbar of stretcher:. Beneath, three lines of quoted text read: "Maple & Co. (Paris) Ltd., 5 Rue Boudreau - Paris", "Mr. Potter Palmer Executor and Trustee of his Mother Mrs. Potter Palmer deceased", and "The Art Institute of Chidago". — Fig. 25.60

Post-1980

Stamp
Location: stretcher
Method: green ink stamp
Content: Inventory – 1980 – 1981 (fig. 25.61)
110

Top to bottom: a reddish-brown surface with fine horizontal grain fills the frame. Near the upper middle, faint dark text or marks appear but are not clearly readable, and two thin black horizontal lines run left to right just below them. Along the bottom edge, a darker brown‑gray band spans the width. — Fig. 25.61

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: Museum of Fine Arts / Boston, MA 02115 / W. 1231 CREUSE / Art I., Chicago (fig. 25.62)
111

A rectangular beige label with rounded corners displays blue and black text. Top line in blue reads “Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA 02115.” Midsection shows “W. 1231” in black with a blue underline, and to its right “CREUSE,” with a small blue dot to the left. Bottom line reads “Art I., Chicago” in black with a blue underline, and additional small blue dots appear along the left edge near each line. — Fig. 25.62

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: Milwaukee Art Museum / 1888: FREDERICK LAYTON AND HIS WORLD / April 7–August 28, 1988 / Claude Monet / Stream, Creuse 1888–89 / oil on canvas / The Art Institute of Chicago, / Potter Palmer Collection / At the War Memorial 750 North Lincoln Memorial Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (fig. 25.63)
112

Cream-colored sheet with black text; across the top, the words “Milwaukee” (left), “Art” (center), and “Museum” (right) sit above a thin horizontal line. Below, centered lines read “1888: FREDERICK LAYTON AND HIS WORLD” and “April 7 – August 28, 1988.” Midsection lists: “Claude Monet,” “Stream, Creuse 1888–89,” “oil on canvas,” and “The Art Institute of Chicago, Potter Palmer Collection.” Along the bottom edge, small text runs left to right: “At the War Memorial,” “750 North Lincoln Memorial Drive,” and “Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.” — Fig. 25.63

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: MONET IN THE ’90s: / THE SERIES PAINTINGS / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / Feb 7–Apr 29, 1990 / Art Institute of Chicago / May 19–Aug 12, 1990 / Royal Academy, London / Sep 7–Dec 9, 1990 / CAT#: 08 W: 1231 / TITLE: The Petite Creuse / LENDER: The Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 25.64)
113

A rectangular tan label with rounded corners shows dark gray typed text. At the top, it reads “MONET IN THE ’90s: THE SERIES PAINTINGS,” followed by venue and date lines: “Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Feb 7 – Apr 29, 1990,” “Art Institute of Chicago, May 19 – Aug 12, 1990,” and “Royal Academy, London, Sep 7 – Dec 9, 1990.” At the bottom, smaller lines list “CAT#: 08 W: 1231,” “TITLE: The Petite Creuse,” and “LENDER: The Art Institute of Chicago.” — Fig. 25.64

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: The Art Institute of Chicago / “Claude Monet: 1840–1926” / July 14, 1995–November 26, 1995 / Catalog: 92 / The Petite Creuse River / Le Viel arbre au confluent / The Art Institute of Chicago, Potter Palmer Collection / (1922.432) (fig. 25.65)
114

Rectangular off-white card with rounded corners and black, left-aligned text. Top lines read: “The Art Institute of Chicago,” “Claude Monet: 1840–1926,” and “July 14, 1995 – November 26, 1995.” Middle section shows “Catalog: 92,” then underlined titles “The Petite Creuse River” and “Le Viel arbre au confluent.” Bottom line reads “The Art Institute of Chicago, Potter Palmer Collection (1922.432).” — Fig. 25.65

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: rmn [logo] / Claude Monet 1840–1926 / Galeries nationales, Grand Palais / 22/09/2010–24/01/2011 / 87 / Chicago / The Art Institute of Chicago / Le Vieil Arbre au confluent / The Old Tree at the Confluence / inv. 1922-432 / huile sur toil (fig. 25.66)
115

Fig. 25.66

Examination and Analysis Techniques

X-radiography

Westinghouse X-ray unit, films scanned on Epson Expressions 10000XL flatbed scanner. Scans digitally composited by Robert G. Erdmann, University of Arizona.116

Infrared Reflectography

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite1000B/2 mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm); Inframetrics Infracam (1.5–1.73 µm filter).117

Transmitted Infrared

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite1000B/2 mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm).118

Visible Light

Natural-light, raking-light, and transmitted-light overalls and macrophotography: Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter.119

Ultraviolet Light

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter and Kodak Wratten 2E filter.120

High-Resolution Visible Light (and Ultraviolet)

Sinar P3 camera with Sinarback eVolution 75 H (B+W 486 UV/IR cut MRC filter).121

Microscopy and Photomicrographs

Sample and cross-sectional analysis using a Zeiss Axioplan 2 research microscope equipped with reflected light/UV fluorescence and a Zeiss AxioCam MRc5 digital camera. Types of illumination used: darkfield, differential interference contrast (DIC), and UV. In situ photomicrographs with a Wild Heerbrugg M7A StereoZoom microscope fitted with an Olympus DP71 microscope digital camera.122

X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

Several spots on the painting were analyzed in situ with a Bruker/Keymaster TRACeR III-V with rhodium tube.123

Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)

Zeiss Universal research microscope.124

Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX)

Cross sections were analyzed after carbon coating with a Hitachi S-3400N-IIVP-SEM with an Oxford EDS and a Hitachi solid-state BSE detector. Analysis was performed at the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE), Electron Probe Instrumentation Center (EPIC) facility.125

Automated Thread Counting

Thread count and weave information were determined by Thread Count Automation Project software.^[66]126

Image Registration Software

Overlay images registered using a novel image-based algorithm developed by Damon M. Conover (GW), Dr. John K. Delaney (GW, NGA), and Murray H. Loew (GW) of the George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.^[67]127

Image Inventory

The image inventory compiles records of all known images of the artwork on file in the Conservation Department, the Imaging Department, and the Department of Medieval to Modern European Painting and Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 25.67).
128

Fig. 25.67
Location/Negative #	Format	Purpose	Date	Lighting, Notes
C6214			c. 1924
C8422			c. 1924
Conservation	35 mm color slide	Pretreatment	May 1965	Normal, overall
Conservation	35 mm color slide	Midtreatment	May 1965	Normal, overall; during cleaning (6 total)
C39825			1974
E14664			Feb. 10, 1988	Normal, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 1, 2010	X-ray films scanned/digitally composited, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Normal, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Raking light, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Ultraviolet, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2 mm filter), overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Photomicrographs of surface (19 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 2, 2010	Macro details (17 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Feb. 24, 2011	Transmitted light, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Feb. 24, 2011	Transmitted infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2 mm filter), overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Feb. 28, 2011	Photomicrographs of two sample sites (7 total)
G36742	Digital	Pretreatment	Mar. 14, 2011	Normal, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Mar. 18 2011	Photomicrographs of surface (5 total)
G37025	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail: signature
G37026	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #1
G37027	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #2
G37028	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #3
G37029	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #4
G37030	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #5
G37031	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #6
G37032	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #7
G37033	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #8
G37034	Digital	OSCI	May 1, 2011	Normal, detail #9
G37021	Digital	Posttreatment	May 2, 2011	Normal, overall
G37022	Digital		May 2, 2011	Normal, frame only
G37023	Digital		May 2, 2011	Painting and frame (composite of G37021 and G37022)
G37024	Digital	OSCI	May 2, 2011	Ultraviolet, overall
G37035	Digital	OSCI	May 2, 2011	Normal, detail #10
G39183–G39202	Digital	OSCI	Jan. 11, 2012	Sections (20 total)
G39180	Digital	OSCI	Jan. 12, 2012	Normal, overall; composite of G39183–G39202
G39181	Digital	OSCI	Jan. 12, 2012	Ultraviolet, overall
G39182	Digital	OSCI	Jan. 12, 2012	Normal, frame only

Notes

The Petite Creuse River (W1231) corresponds to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 469–70, cat. 1231 (ill.). The Art Institute currently uses the title that resulted from the research for the 1995 exhibition Claude Monet, 1840–1926. See curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
The Art Institute currently uses the date used in both Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 469–70, cat. 1231 (ill.); and Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 295, cat. 8.
See Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 240, letters 912 and 913. In a letter to his friend Berthe Morisot, Monet explains that he “was going to do astounding things, but alas, the further I go, the more difficulty I have in rendering what I would like”; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 109; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 244, letter 943.
See Gustave Geffroy, “Chronique, Les néveroses,” La justice, Mar. 1, 1883, pp. 1–2.
According to Wildenstein, the day after the arrival of Geffroy, Mullem, Jourdain, and Monet in Fresselines, Rollinat took his guests to see the two Creuses. They “followed the Dun-le-Palestel road to the Vervit (or Vervy ) Mill on the Grande Creuse, went via the Confolent farm down to the bottom of the petite Creuse ravine over which the hamlet of Puy Guillon looks, and finally reached the confluence of the two Creuses, where Monet admired the ‘Eaux-Semblantes’ . . . and a huge, solitary oak.” See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 249.
Monet stayed at the town’s only inn, run by Mme Baronnet, where he kept his materials and slept, but he ate meals and spent the evenings at Rollinat’s modest house, La Pouge. See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 249. During his three-month sojourn in Fresselines, Monet made one three-day return to Paris to discuss with Rodin their joint exhibition, which was to be held at Galerie Georges Petit in June.
Monet to Alice Hochedé, May 14, 1889, translated in Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 51; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 979. See also “The Creuse and Neurotic Obsession (1889),” in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), pp. 103–22; Levine compares Monet’s letters to Hoschedé during the Creuse campaign to the melancholy and disillusionment found in Rollinat’s poetry. On Monet’s eventual return to Giverny, see Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 218; Stuckey says Monet returned to Giverny around May 18. According to Wildenstein, Monet returned “almost certainly” on May 19, 1889; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 252.
According to Paul Hayes Tucker, the twenty-four canvases that resulted from the Creuse campaign, “[i]n their number, appearance, and subtlety, and in the way that Monet subsequently chose to exhibit them, [means that] these pictures could be considered Monet’s first series.” See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 41.
“Pour le matin et l’après-midi, soleil et temps gris.” In Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 240, letter 915; translated in Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 249.
The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 41.
The term eaux semblantes does not have a specific translation. Wildenstein translates it as “the seeming waters.” See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 465. In his description of the trip he made to Rollinat’s home with Monet in early 1889, Gustave Geffroy refers to the “confluent des rivières nommé ‘Confolans’ ou Eaux-Semblantes, qui est un des plus étranges et des plus beaux aspects qui se puissent voir.” See Gustave Geffroy, Claude Monet: Sa vie, son temps, son oeuvre (G. Crès, 1922), p. 286, translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 138: “where the rivers called ‘Confolans,’ or Eaux-Semblantes, meet, and which is one of the strangest and most beautiful sights there is.”
See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 250. Even with fourteen canvases under way, Monet complains to Alice that “it is going along, but very slowly and with lots of trouble; the further I go the more it is thus, [and] I was thinking to do this countryside at the first go? Ah! Well yes, it is incredibly difficult.” Monet to Alice Hoschedé, Mar. 18, 1889; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 104; and in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 241, letter 919. The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 248. On other trips (such as at Étretat, Belle-Île, and most recently, Antibes), Monet usually had been alone at night, and he was unused to being an audience, but at Fresselines he spent many evenings listening to Rollinat’s poetry recitations and songs. Monet described Rollinat in a letter to Alice Hoschedé, dated March 21, [1889]: “What a veritable artist: he is at times certainly the most discouraging there is, full of bitterness and sadness precisely because he is an artist and therefore never content and always unhappy”; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 105; and in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 241, letter 923.
The title of the Art Institute painting has changed over the years. It has been called Torrent Dauphiné (in 1934 and 1957), suggesting a geographical location and atmospheric condition that is not represented. The title was changed to Torrent, Creuse in 1974. The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 47.
The number preceded by a D refers to drawings in the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Catalogue raisonné, vol. 5, Supplément aux peintures: Dessins; Pastels; Index (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1991).
Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), p. 42, refers to the palette for the Petite Creuse series as discordant and “as complex as it is uningratiating.”
In a letter to Berthe Morisot, Apr. 8, 1889, Monet writes, “It is superb here [La Creuse], of a terrible savagery that reminds me of Belle-Île”; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 109; and in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 943. That he was thinking about Belle-Île is also evident in his comment that Flaubert, had he been a painter, may have written differently. Monet was remembering, no doubt, Flaubert’s travel account, which included his impressions of Belle-Île, Par les champs et par les grèves (voyage en Bretagne), accompagné de mélanges et fragments inédits, published by Monet’s friend and patron, Georges Charpentier in 1886. See Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 247, letter 968.
Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 218. See also Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 11; Levine translates a passage from a letter to Gustave Geffroy, dated April 24, in which Monet laments over “this river that falls, rises again, one day green, then yellow, now dry, and which tomorrow will be a torrent after the terrible rain that is falling at the moment!”
See Monet’s letter to Alice Hoschedé on May 3, 1889: “What a disappointment it was to return to a subject which I had been unable to visit for three weeks. There were so many changes, and the sun was reflected in the water like diamond sequins. I nearly gave up because it was blinding me but it was heartbreaking to have to abandon a whole series, so I have finally accepted”; translated in Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 470); original French in Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 247, letter 971.
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 50. See also Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 975. Monet’s interest in the old oak went beyond the Petite Creuse series, and he painted a large single picture of this tree, Old Oak at Fresselines (1889; destroyed during WWI [W1231]). The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
It is as if he were taking to heart Octave Mirbeau’s earlier assessment, on the front page of Le figaro on the occasion of his exhibition at the Montmartre branch of Boussod & Valadon, of the methodical and near-mathematical rigor he brought to his landscapes. See Octave Mirbeau, “Claude Monet,” Le figaro, Mar. 10, 1889, p. 1. Or, as Tucker suggests, he was responding to the panic he was feeling about his important joint exhibition (with Rodin) scheduled to open at Galerie Georges Petit in June; see Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 50. See also Milwaukee Art Museum, 1888: Frederick Layton and His World, exh. cat. (Milwaukee Art Museum, 1988), p. 124. The need to control nature would be addressed even more dramatically in Monet’s later series.
In Monet’s letter to Alice Hoschedé on May 9, 1889, he writes, “I am in a state of joy: the unhoped-for permission to remove the leaves of my handsome oak has been graciously granted! It was a big business to bring large enough ladders into the ravine. Finally it has been done; two men have been occupied with it since yesterday”; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 115; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 976.
See Technical Report, under “Condition,” which mentions a narrow impression along the top edge possibly made by an easel cleat or a transport case, which Monet may have used while the paint was still tacky. In addition, flattened areas of paint around edges suggest that it was framed while the paint was still wet.
With the exception of the seventeen canvases from his trip to Antibes, 1888, this was the largest series. See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 32. On June 15, 1889, Monet installed his paintings in Georges Petit’s gallery in two tiers, “without concern for chronological order, although the fourteen Creuse paintings are grouped together.” Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 218.
Octave Mirbeau says that “Il divisa son travail, sur un plan méthodique, rationnel, d’une inflexible rigueur, en quelque sorte mathématique” (He divided his work on a methodical plan, rational, an inflexible rigor, in some way mathematical). Octave Mirbeau, “Claude Monet,” Le figaro, Mar. 10, 1889, p. 1. Monet was in some cases an active participant in his own myth-making. See, for example, Émile Taboureux, “Claude Monet,” La vie moderne, June 12, 1880, pp. 380–82, translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (1985), pp. 89–93, an interview with Monet that coincided with his 1880 exhibition held at La Vie Moderne. It has been argued that this interview was the basis for the legend of the artist working en plein air and that Monet was at least partly responsible for its creation. See Annette Dixon, “The Marketing of Monet: The Exhibition at La Vie Moderne,” in Annette Dixon, Carole McNamara, and Charles F. Stuckey, Monet at Vétheuil: The Turning Point, exh. cat. (University of Michigan, 1998), p. 101.
“Nul peintre, en ce temps-ci, n’a su, mieux que M. Monet, exprimer l’infinie variété des choses, les représenter sous leurs aspects changeants, avec leur mobilité, leur forme et leur couleur, à l’heure ou elles lui sont apparues, dans leur atmosphère et dans leur lumière”; see “L’exposition Monet-Rodin,” Le matin, June 23, 1889, p. 3.
See Paul Foucher, “Libres chroniques,” Le Gil Blas, June 28, 1889, pp. 1–2; and Octave Maus, “Claude Monet-Auguste Rodin,” L’art moderne 9, 27 (July 7, 1889), pp. 209–11; quoted in Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 54–55.
Writing to Alice near the end of his campaign Monet laments that “bad luck pursues me up to the end. Never an apparently fine day without a storm; what tenacity I need to persist”; Monet to Alice Hoschedé, May 12, 1889, translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 115; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898(Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 977.
To Alice Hoschedé, Apr. 4, 1889, Monet writes that he has “absolutely renounced Crozant in spite of all my regrets; it will be for another time”; translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 108; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 243, letter 937.
Monet to Alice Hoschedé, May 14, 1889, translated in Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 51; and in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 248, letter 979.
Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of French Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2010, rept., 2013), p. 121.
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 42. The Art Institute’s Petite Creuse shares a warp-thread match with several other Monet canvas paintings in the Art Institute’s collection dating from the years following the Creuse campaign, including four versions of Stacks of Wheat: Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer) (cat. 27 [W1269]), Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) (cat. 28 [W1270]), Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) (cat. 29 [W1278]), and Stack of Wheat (Thaw, Sunset) (cat. 32 [W1284]) (see also Technical Report). While the Creuse campaign may be considered the first of Monet’s series, the stacks of wheat paintings, shown together at the Durand-Ruel gallery in May 1891, would concretize the idea of “series” for the artist as a method of picture making and expanding the message and meaning of the motif. The number preceded by a W refers to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
For further discussion, see Kimberley Muir, Inge Fiedler, Don H. Johnson, and Robert Erdmann, “Thread Count, Weave, and Ground Analysis of Claude Monet’s Vieille & Troisgros/Troisgros Frères Canvases in the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Painting Techniques: History, Materials and Studio Practice (Rijksmuseum, forthcoming). The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
For an overview of the materials and methods of Claude Monet’s paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago, see Kimberley Muir, Inge Fiedler, Don H. Johnson, and Robert G. Erdmann, “An In-depth Study of the Materials and Technique of Paintings by Claude Monet from the Art Institute of Chicago,” ICOM-CC 17th Triennial Meeting Preprints, Melbourne, Sept. 15–19, 2014 (forthcoming).
Using the toolbar at the bottom right, any two images of the painting may be selected for comparison by clicking the layers icon to the right of the slider bar. The slider bar may be moved to transition back and forth between the two chosen images. The jagged line icon brings up a list of available annotations, or colored lines that show the significant features visible in each image, which may be turned on or off in any combination. For example, the red annotation lines, associated with the natural-light image, trace some of the painting’s key compositional features. When overlaid onto a technical image (X-ray, raking light, UV, etc.), the red outlines help the viewer to better observe how features in the technical image relate to or diverge from the painting as seen with the naked eye. (When annotations are turned on, a legend appears in the upper right showing each color and its associated image type.) The circular arrow icon returns the image to the default settings (nature light, full-image view, natural-light [red] annotation on). The four-arrow icon toggles between the view of the image in the page and a full-screen view of the image. In the upper right corner, the vertical slider bar may be moved to zoom into or out of the image; different parts of the image can be accessed by clicking and dragging within the image itself. The icon in the upper left corner opens a small view of the full image, within which a red box indicates the portion of the overall image being viewed when zooming is enabled.
XRF and PLM analysis indicate that the paint mixture contains mostly vermilion with traces of viridian, red lake, and lead white; other pigments may also be present. See Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_PLM_report,” Nov. 15, 2013, and Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Creuse_22_432_XRF_Results,” Aug. 4, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Flax was confirmed by microscopic cross-sectional fiber identification. See Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_analytical_report,” Nov. 25, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
See, for example, the chart of standard sizes available from Bourgeois Aîné in 1888, reproduced in David Bomford, Jo Kirby, John Leighton, and Ashok Roy, Art in the Making: Impressionism (National Gallery, London/Yale University Press, 1990), p. 46, fig. 31. The original dimensions of the painting were based on a visual estimate of the original foldovers. Small discrepancies between the current dimensions and standard sizes may be a result of this approximation, in addition to other factors such as restretching of the canvas on a new stretcher after lining.
Thread count and weave information determined by Thread Count Automation Project software; see Don H. Johnson and Robert G. Erdmann, “Thread Count Report: Claude Monet The Petite Creuse River (W1231/1922.432),” Oct. 2011.
This suggests that the canvases for these paintings were cut from the same bolt of fabric. See Don H. Johnson, “Weave Match Report: Claude Monet W1231, W1269, W1270, W1278, W1284, W1397, W1475, W1628,” Apr. 2011. For further discussion, see Kimberley Muir, Inge Fiedler, Don H. Johnson, and Robert Erdmann, “Thread Count, Weave, and Ground Analysis of Claude Monet’s Vieille & Troisgros/Troisgros Frères Canvases in the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Painting Techniques: History, Materials and Studio Practice (Rijksmuseum, forthcoming). The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue Raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
According to Stéphanie Constantin, Troisgros Frères operated at this address from 1884 to 1887 (“The Barbizon Painters: A Guide to Their Suppliers,” Studies in Conservation 46, 1 [2001], pp. 53, 63).
The presence of a sizing layer is difficult to determine from cross sections due to previous conservation treatments, including wax-resin lining.
Traces of magnesium, aluminum, and silicon were detected in association with the calcium particles and are believed to be impurities often associated with the chalk. One particle of barium sulfate was also detected in the ground sample. The ground was analyzed using SEM/EDX, PLM, and XRF. For more detailed results and conditions used, see Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_analytical_report,” Nov. 25, 2013; Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_PLM_results,” Nov. 15, 2013; Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Creuse_22_432_XRF_Results,” Aug. 4, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
The area of disturbed paint is approximately 29 cm long, 1 cm wide, and is located 1 cm from the top edge.
Other fine black particles, possibly charcoal, were observed in some samples by PLM. Paint scraping samples taken in 1977 were reexamined by PLM in 2013. See Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_PLM_results,” Nov. 15, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
The pigments were identified by the following methods: lead white, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, vermilion, emerald green, viridian, cobalt blue (PLM, XRF); red lake, ultramarine blue, bone black (PLM). PLM analysis highlighted the presence of pale-red and deeper-red particles of red lake, suggesting that two different types may be present. Paint scraping samples taken in 1977 were reexamined by PLM in 2013. Iron oxides may also be present, based on the detection of traces of iron in areas analyzed by XRF. Analysis was carried out on selected areas and may not include all pigments present in the painting. For more detailed results and conditions used, see Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_PLM_report,” Nov. 15, 2013; Inge Fiedler, “1922_432_Monet_analytical_report,” Nov. 25, 2013; Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Creuse_22_432_XRF_Results,” Aug. 4, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Identifying the specific type of lake used only by its fluorescence under UV is difficult, as many factors, including the type of substrate, binders, varnishes and admixtures with other pigments, can ultimately affect the perceived color of the fluorescence. Some types of madder and purpurin lake pigments have been reported to fluoresce orange, but other lakes, such as lacs, may fluoresce as well. The characteristics of red lakes, including their fluorescence under ultraviolet light, are discussed in Helmut Schweppe and John Winter, “Madder and Alizarin,” in Artists’ Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, ed. Elisabeth West FitzHugh, vol. 3 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1997), pp. 124–26. See also Ruth Johnston-Feller, Color Science in the Examination of Museum Objects: Nondestructive Procedures (Getty Conservation Institute, 2001), p. 207.
The binding medium was not analyzed. The estimation of an oil medium is based on visual examination, as well as on knowledge of Monet’s technique and published analyses of Monet paintings in other collections. See, for example, David Bomford, Jo Kirby, John Leighton, and Ashok Roy, Art in the Making: Impressionism (National Gallery, London/Yale University Press, 1990), pp. 72–75.
“[O]n list—Pictures from The Potter Palmer Collection cleaned and varnished by Hammond Smith April 20, 1922,” unsigned interdepartmental correspondence, n.d., on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
See Alfred Jakstas, treatment report, Aug. 13, 1965, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
See Frank Zuccari, treatment report, May 25, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
The current frame was originally ordered for The Customs House at Varengeville in 1995. Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 469–70, cat. 1231 (ill.). Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 55, suggests that the painting was bought by Mrs. Palmer.
This painting was on loan from the Palmer family to the Art Institute of Chicago, intermittently, by 1921, according to Museum Registration department artists sheets on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago.
The exhibition catalogue lists the dates as June 1–November 1, 1934, but newspaper articles confirm the exhibition closed on October 31. See “Fair Art Exhibition Closes Forever at 5:30 This Afternoon,” Chicago Daily Tribune, Oct. 31, 1934, p. 2; and “Shippers Start Dismantling Art Exhibition Today,” Chicago Daily Tribune, Nov. 1, 1934, p. 3.
According to shipping order A690, on file in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago; and receipt of objects 13266, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago.
According to shipping out order A4298, on file in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago; and receipt of object 14851, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago. Exhibition dates are noted on the shipping out order.
The exhibition catalogue is printed in Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), pp. 33–34. Under “Exhibitions” in the same issue, the exhibition dates were listed as April 1–30 (p. 36); however, the show was extended until June 15. See Edith Weigle, “The Wonderful World of Art,” Chicago Daily Tribune, May 26, 1957, p. E2, for an exhibition review and reference to the extension of the length of the show. The April 1957 issue of the Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly was largely dedicated to the Monet works in the Art Institute’s collection. The exhibition marked the first time the Art Institute’s thirty Monet paintings were shown together in the museum.
Reprinted in Art Institute of Chicago, Handbook of Sculpture, Architecture, and Paintings, pt. 2, Paintings (Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 68, cat. 836.
Reprinted in Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1932), p. 164, cat. 22.432.
See Don H. Johnson, C. Richard Johnson, Jr., Andrew G. Klein, William A. Sethares, H. Lee, and Ella Hendriks, “A Thread Counting Algorithm for Art Forensics,” 2009 IEEE Thirteenth Digital Signal Processing and Fifth IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop (IEEE, 2009), pp. 679–84; doi:10.1109/DSP.2009.4786009.
See Damon M. Conover, John K. Delaney, Paola Ricciardi, and Murray H. Loew, “Towards Automatic Registration of Technical Images of Works of Art,” in Computer Vision and Image Analysis of Art II, ed. David G. Stork, James Coddington, and Anna Bentkowska-Kafel, Proc. SPIE 7869 (SPIE/IS&T, 2011), doi:10.1117/12.872634.

How to Cite

Entry by Gloria Groom; Technical Report by Kimberley Muir and Kirk Vuillemot, “Cat. 25 The Petite Creuse River, 1889,” in Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, ed. Gloria Groom and Jill Shaw, rev. ed. (2014; repr., Art Institute of Chicago, 2026), https://doi.org/10.53269/9780865592698/21.

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works of art

Appendix

Genesis of the Creuse Campaign

Painting the Creuse Valley

The Petite Creuse Valley

The Old Oak

The Significance of the Creuse Campaign

Technical Report

Technical Summary

Multilayer Interactive Image Viewer

Signature

Structure and Technique

Support

Preparatory Layers

Compositional Planning/Underdrawing/Painted Sketch

Paint Layer

Surface Finish

Conservation History

Condition Summary

Frame

Provenance

Exhibition History

Selected References

Other Documentation

Labels and Inscriptions

Undated

Pre-1980

Post-1980

Examination and Analysis Techniques

X-radiography

Infrared Reflectography

Transmitted Infrared

Visible Light

Ultraviolet Light

High-Resolution Visible Light (and Ultraviolet)

Microscopy and Photomicrographs

X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)

Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX)

Automated Thread Counting

Image Registration Software

Image Inventory

Fig. 25.67

Notes

How to Cite

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