Cat. 26  Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890–91

Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago

Top portion shows a bright blue sky with a few small, pale clouds. Across the middle, a left-to-right line of green trees appears, including two very tall, narrow trees that rise higher than the others; a low blue‑purple ridge sits behind them on the horizon. Foreground is a wide field of green grass densely scattered with red and pink flowers.

Cat. 26

Poppy Field (Giverny)^[1]
1890–91^[2]
Oil on canvas; 61.2 × 93.1 cm (24 1/16 × 36 5/8 in.)
Signed and dated: Claude Monet 91 (lower right, in dull, yellowish-green paint)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection, 1922.4465

Technical Report
Provenance
Exhibition History
Selected References
Other Documentation

The Fields of Les Essarts: The Miniseries

Claude Monet’s important joint exhibition with Auguste Rodin at Galerie Georges Petit (June–Sept. 1889) was followed by an extended period during which Monet did not paint a single picture. Beginning in June 1889 and lasting until the summer of 1890, Monet was thoroughly focused on helping to raise money for the purchase of Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863; Musée d’Orsay, Paris) from the artist’s widow on behalf of the French nation.^[3] The Art Institute’s Poppy Field (Giverny) is one of four nearly identical pictures undertaken in July 1890 (fig. 26.1 [W1251], fig. 26.2 [W1252], and Poppies, 1890/91; private collection [W1254]) that together mark his return to work.^[4] The poppy group is one of three groups of paintings with similar subjects from this period. Showing fields of poppies, oats, or hay (e.g., fig. 26.3 [W1247] and fig. 26.4 [W1259]) behind Monet’s house at Giverny, these groups, each made up of four or five canvases, are linked not only by the nearly identical subject matter but also by a similar chromatic scheme and handling of paint.^[5] After traveling for much of the 1880s, Monet seemed to have been revitalized by the wealth of possibilities offered by the landscape elements in the immediate surroundings at Giverny.^[6]1

Figs. 26.1–26.4

Top area shows a pale blue sky with scattered soft white clouds. Across the middle, a row of green trees runs left to right, with one very tall, narrow tree near the center and rounder, shorter trees on both sides; low blue hills appear behind them on the right. The lower portion is a wide field of green-brown grass dotted with small orange-red and yellow flowers extending across the width. — Fig. 26.1

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Field of Poppies*, 1890. Oil on canvas; 60 × 100 cm (23 5/8 × 39 3/8 in.). Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Mass.

A pale blue sky with scattered light clouds spans the top. Across the middle, a row of green trees stands in front of a low blue hill, with a dense cluster on the left and two very tall, thin poplars rising higher than the others near the center and right. At the bottom, a wide field of yellow green grass is dotted with orange-red flowers, stretching from left to right. — Fig. 26.2

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Field of Poppies near Giverny*, 1890. Oil on canvas; 60.8 × 101.1 cm (23 15/16 × 39 13/16 in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, L-R 1328.12. Photograph © 2014 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Top third shows a pale sky with soft light blue and pink clouds. Across the middle, a dense line of dark green trees runs left to right, with a taller tree on the far right; near the center-left sits a small orange-brown haystack and a smaller rounded mound beside it. The foreground is a wide green field scattered with many small white flowers stretching across the bottom edge. — Fig. 26.3

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Prairie à Giverny (Prairie at Giverny)*, 1890. Oil on canvas; 65 × 92 cm (25 5/8 × 36 1/4 in.). Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukushima, Japan.

At the top, a pale blue sky fills about half the scene. Across the center, a distant line of soft green trees stretches left to right, with a tall, dense cluster of dark green and deep red leaves along the right edge. The foreground is a wide meadow of light green and yellow grasses dotted with many small red and orange flowers, with patches of lavender and blue tones mixed through the grass. — Fig. 26.4

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Champ d’avoine (Oat Field)*, 1890. Oil on canvas; 66 × 92.6 cm (26 × 36 7/16 in.). Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida.

Monet, early in his career, used the term series in a general way to refer to groups of paintings that were in progress at the same time, such as the works he did while at Argenteuil.^[7] By the 1890s, however, he applied the word more specifically in reference to “tightly integrated groups of paintings.”^[8] For these series, starting around 1889–90, Monet consciously set out to paint a whole sequence of works depicting the same elements in different atmospheric conditions rather than merely versions of the same motif, as was the case at Argenteuil or the Gare Saint-Lazare works.2

Monet’s group of paintings from his Creuse River valley campaign in early 1889, especially the twelve canvases showing the same massive rocks at the rivers’ confluence in varying times of day and seasons of the year, can be said to constitute the artist’s first series.^[9] While smaller in number, the field compositions that followed the Creuse campaign can be seen as direct precursors to the Stacks of Wheat series (1890–91).^[10] Of the four canvases from the poppy group, three are dated—Field of Poppies (fig. 26.1) and Field of Poppies near Giverny (fig. 26.2), both dated 1890, and the Art Institute’s canvas, dated 1891—suggesting that the poppy field paintings, and others from the Giverny field groups, were conceived in the summer of 1890 and put aside by the end of August–beginning of September when Monet became engrossed with the Stacks of Wheat series.^[11] That Monet chose at least one representative from each of these small field groups to accompany the fifteen Stacks exhibited at Durand-Ruel’s gallery in May 1891 indicates that he recognized their significant role in the conceptual development of what was to be an artistic breakthrough.^[12]
3

Painting the Poppies

The hay, oat, and poppy field compositions were not painted on Monet’s immediate property but in the “area known as Les Essarts, a tract of land that lay between the Epte and the Bras de Limetz, a ten minute walk south of Monet’s water lily pond.”^[13] The hills in the background, which rose up in Monet’s backyard, and the fields in and around his property are relatively similar, distinguished by the crops or by invasive wildflowers (fig. 26.5).^[14] Only the trees, which connect sky to field and offer a break in the horizontal zones, provide information on Monet’s exact vantage point. For the poppy field canvases (e.g. fig. 26.2), for example, the prominence of the poplar trees and the closer-in view of the hills suggests the area slightly west of Monet’s Giverny pond, looking toward the village of Vernon.^[15]4

At the top, a pale gray sky stretches over low, faint hills. Below, a band of dark trees runs left to right with small white houses and chimneys visible between them; in front sit two large conical haystacks, one near the center with a support pole and another to the right. In the foreground, an open field in medium gray tones fills the lower portion, making the haystacks appear larger than the distant buildings. — Fig. 26.5

Photograph of the view from Monet’s second studio, c. 1905, from *L’art et les artistes*, Dec. 1905, p. 90.

In July 1890 Monet’s future biographer, the politician and journalist Georges Clemenceau, visited the artist while he was at work on these field canvases. In “Révolution de cathédrales,” first published in 1895, Clemenceau’s description of Monet “with his three canvases in front of his poppy field, changing his palette as the sun ran its course,” is contradicted by the nearly identical palette used in the four poppy field paintings.^[16] Furthermore, when Clemenceau republished the article in 1928, he changed the details somewhat, relating how the artist worked on “four easels on the banks of the Epte river, in front of the poppy fields bordered by poplar trees.”^[17] Although the notion that Monet set up four separate easels has been disputed by many, including Monet’s stepson Jacques Hoschedé,^[18] Clemenceau’s eyewitness account and emphasis on the “truth” resulting from Monet’s “four canvases in full light”^[19] set the stage for thinking about how these canvases, and the revolutionary “series” that would follow, were painted.
5

The Landscape Beneath

The scale, composition, and surface of the Art Institute’s Poppy Field are very similar to the three other poppy canvases. However, transmitted-infrared and X-ray images show that the Chicago painting was executed over a previous landscape (fig. 26.6).^[20] The outlines of what appears to be a cliff are clearly visible in X-ray, as is the active brushwork filling in this large shape, which rises nearly to the top of the canvas. It seems plausible that the composition relates to the Étretat paintings of cliffs from Monet’s campaigns in 1883 and 1885 (e.g., fig. 26.7).^[21] In a letter to his companion, Alice Hoschedé, written during his 1885 stay at Étretat, Monet complained that the changing conditions of the sea and the variable weather were causing him great difficulty.^[22] This tantalizing and all-too-familiar complaint certainly speaks to the level of frustration Monet experienced in his struggle to put nature onto canvas, but could it also suggest that he abandoned a canvas to be reused several years later? A palette-shaped stamp, once visible on the verso of the original canvas of the Art Institute picture, which has been lined, indicates that it was purchased from Vieille & Troisgros, one of Monet’s preferred suppliers (fig. 26.8).^[23] Located on the rue de Laval, Vieille & Troisgros were in partnership between 1879 and 1883.^[24] Although not a weave match with the Art Institute’s Étretat pictures from the 1885 campaign (see cat. 21 and cats. 22–23), the canvases for these paintings do exhibit a thread count match to Poppy Field (Giverny); furthermore, because the ground layer is similar to the grounds on the Art Institute’s Étretat works, along with an underlying composition that is strikingly similar to others from the Étretat campaigns, it seems possible that the canvas may have been left in the studio after one of Monet’s trips to Étretat and reused many years later for this series.^[25]6

Top half shows a bright blue sky with a few small, pale pink clouds. Across the middle, a line of green trees runs left to right, with a very tall, narrow tree near the center and another tall, narrow tree to the right; low blue hills sit behind the trees on the right. The foreground is a broad field of green covered with many red patches, stretching across the bottom of the scene. — Natural Light

Top area shows a light gray sky with darker streaks. Across the middle, a row of trees runs left to right: dense, rounded trees on the left; a very tall, narrow tree near the center; and another tall, full tree on the right, with a low line of shrubs behind them. Bottom section contains a flat field in mixed dark and light grays with rough, uneven texture, and faint low hills rise in the middle-right background. Colors are black, white, and shades of gray, with the central tree the tallest element. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Top area shows a dark gray sky with lighter streaks. Across the middle, a line of trees runs left to right, with a tall, slender tree near the center and shorter, rounder trees on both sides. The bottom third is a dense, mottled dark gray band that spans the width. A thin border surrounds the scene with white right‑angle markers in all four corners and small tabs spaced along the edges. — X-Ray

Fig. 26.6

Transmitted-infrared (Fuji, 1.0 and 1.1 µm), natural-light, and X-ray overlay of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing that the final composition was painted over a previous landscape composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Across the top, a pale blue sky with light yellow tints stretches horizontally. From left to center, a large gray-brown seaside cliff with bluish and orange patches rises from the water, with a tall arch opening near its right side and a thin strip of tan land at the far left. Along the bottom, a light tan and pink beach curves from the left foreground toward the center where it meets green water that fills the right half. Near the right edge, a small white sailboat sits on the sea, much smaller than the cliff. — Fig. 26.7

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Étretat: Falaise et porte d’Aval*, 1885. Oil on canvas; 60.5 × 81 cm (23 13/16 × 31 7/8 in.). Sotheby’s, New York, May 14, 1985, lot 10.

White paper with a light blue square grid contains handwritten notes in blue ink. On the left, a short line of cursive text is written diagonally. On the right, a large kidney-shaped outline encloses block letters reading “35 PARIS,” “COULEURS FINES,” “TOILES,” and “PANNEAUX,” with small vertical ticks and curved dashes near the top; the outline has a small inward notch at the lower right edge. — Fig. 26.8

Tracing of the verso canvas stamp from Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding the reuse of the canvas, the previous composition was not thoroughly scraped off. Areas of the initial landscape, though not entirely resolved, seem to have been painted broadly and rather thickly (fig. 26.9). This brushwork is still visible to the unaided eye, especially in the sky area, where horizontal as well as contour strokes from the earlier painting can be discerned (fig. 26.10). It is clear that Monet also made a few modifications to the final composition, especially the area in the center around the tree: he brought the sky over the green of the foliage and slimmed down the tree’s trunk, in particular on the left-hand side (see Technical Report). Elsewhere, such as in the foreground, where there appears to be no trace of the underlying landscape, there are a few areas where one can see the original primed canvas through the paint layer (fig. 26.11).
7

A light gray sky spans the top half in shades of black, white, and gray. Across the middle, a horizontal band of dark trees and low hills runs left to right; a very tall, narrow tree stands slightly right of center, another tall tree is farther right, and denser clusters of trees sit on the left. The bottom third shows a wide, flat field filling the foreground in mottled grays. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Across the top, a dark gray expanse fills the background in black, white, and gray tones. The middle band shows a row of trees, with a tall, narrow tree near the center and shorter, rounded trees to the left and right, set against a lighter horizontal strip. The bottom third is a dense, mottled gray area with scattered lighter patches. White L-shaped corner markers appear in all four corners within a thin border, with small tick marks along the lower edge. — X-Ray

Fig. 26.9

Transmitted-infrared and X-ray overlay detail of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing the broad, thick brushwork visible in the earlier composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Top half has a blue sky with a few small, pale clouds. Across the middle, a row of green trees runs left to right, with a very tall, narrow dark-green tree just right of center and shorter, rounder trees on both sides; low blue hills appear behind them to the right. The bottom portion is a wide field in muted greens and pinks stretching across the foreground. — Raking Light

Fig. 26.10

Raking-light image of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing brushwork related to the previous composition that remains visible. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Close-up of a textured surface with scattered orange dots on a cream base, crossed by irregular patches of green and blue. From top left to top right, light blue and green streaks cut through dense orange speckling; the center and right side show broader swaths of medium green with small dark blue and purple spots. The bottom area has tan and light blue swirls mixed with pale green, with small orange areas near the right edge. A thin black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm runs along the bottom. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 47

Left side shows a landscape, while the rest of the frame is solid black. From top to bottom on the left, a pale blue sky with faint pink tones is above a large green tree with dark blue and purple areas, then a narrow band of light green shrubs. The bottom third is a wide field with red and green patches. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.11

Photomicrograph of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing where the ground layer is visible through breaks in the final paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

In the Chicago painting and the other near-identical versions, Monet used long, horizontal strokes for grass, to which he added small flicks of colored pigments to evoke poppies bending in the wind (fig. 26.12), a technique similar to his use of blue-white daubs of pigments in the Creuse paintings to suggest rippling water (see cat. 25). This recalls also his depiction of the poppies in full blossom in an earlier painting of a field (fig. 26.13 [W1000]), whose construction, with its deep foreground, high horizon line, and rectangle of poppies receding toward a curving ravine, is entirely different from the gentle, horizontally balanced and decoratively framed poppy fields of the early 1890s.^[26] Another earlier composition, Field of Corn (fig. 26.14 [W676]), painted at Vétheuil and dated 1881, features the same compositional division of field, trees, and sky with windswept grasses and billowing clouds that imparts a sense of the momentary, of the on-the-spot execution.^[27] The Chicago composition could have been generated in a similar way; bits of plant or grass embedded in the surface (fig. 26.15) confirm that it was at least partially painted en plein air, and indentations and pressure points, noted along the edges of the canvas, moreover, suggest that the artist moved the canvas before it was completely dry and perhaps put it in some kind of traveling case (see Technical Report).^[28] The final surface, however, is a combination of densely applied strokes, sometimes wet-in-wet and sometimes wet-over-dry, encrusted with daubs of variegated pigments suggesting work done both outdoors and in the studio. Deceptively simple at first glance, the surface is the result of a complicated technique that in a way calls to mind Georges Seurat’s experiments with divided color in the mid-1880s (e.g., fig. 26.16).^[29]
8

Top section shows a mix of coral-pink and pale green patches with scattered light blue and yellow areas. Moving downward, irregular coral-pink spots continue across medium and dark green shapes, with occasional light blue marks. Along the bottom edge, green areas become denser with more coral-pink spots and a few blue touches; forms are irregular and do not depict recognizable objects. — Fig. 26.12

Detail of Monet’s *Poppy Field* *(Giverny)* (1890–91) showing small flicks of paint used to define the poppies. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Pale gray-blue sky with soft clouds spans the top. Below, a shallow green valley curves between hills, with darker green bushes scattered across the slopes and a few tan mounds on the right and near the center. Foreground is filled with dense red-orange flowers mixed with green grass, forming a wide band that narrows toward the middle; lighter green grasses continue along the right side. — Fig. 26.13

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Poppy Field in a Hollow near Giverny*, 1885. Oil on canvas; 65.1 × 81.3 cm (25 5/8 × 32 in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 25.106. Photograph © 2014 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Top shows a pale blue sky with soft white and light gray clouds, brighter near the upper right. Across the middle runs a distant horizon lined with tall, narrow green trees—denser toward the left and smaller groups to the right—appearing small against the scene. The foreground is a wide green field with a faint curved path and scattered small red flowers, with a horizontal band of yellow‑orange grass separating the field from the trees. — Fig. 26.14

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Field of Corn*, 1881. Oil on canvas; 65.7 × 82 cm (25.9 × 32.3 in.). Sold, Sotheby’s, New York, Nov. 8, 2012, lot 19.

A rough, highly textured surface with mottled color patches dominates the view. From left to right, the upper left shows red and orange with bits of yellow and white, the center is mostly green and teal, and the upper right includes a purple patch; a thin diagonal groove runs from the upper left toward the center. Several small scratches or raised ridges are scattered across the surface. Along the bottom, a brown and olive band runs horizontally, with a black line labeled “1.0 cm” indicating scale. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 58

Left side and most of the frame are solid black, while a small rectangular landscape sits on the right. In that rectangle, the top area is light blue sky; below it is a band of trees in greens and blues, with one tall narrow tree at the far right. The lower half shows a field covered in red and orange patches mixed with green. A small black square overlay appears near the bottom center of the landscape. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.15

Photomicrograph of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing small bits of plant matter embedded at the bottom edge of the painting. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Pale blue-gray sky spans the top. A flat tan strip of land crosses the middle, lined left-to-right with small, low buildings in white and light colors, plus a slender tree near the right edge. The foreground is a broad field of green and yellow grasses dotted with small red and purple flowers, with the distant buildings appearing small in scale. — Fig. 26.16

Georges Seurat (French, 1859–1891). *La Luzerne, Saint-Denis,* 1885. Oil on canvas; 65.3 × 81.3 cm (25 3/4 × 32 in.). National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh. Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY.

Monet’s attraction to fields of grasses, flowers, and poppies dates to his residence at Argenteuil (e.g., fig. 26.17 [W274]) and would reappear in 1880 and 1881 near Vétheuil (e.g., fig. 26.14) and in 1885 and 1887 near Giverny (e.g., fig. 26.13).^[30] But it was the group of poppy canvases that Clemenceau singled out as launching Monet’s “révolution.”^[31] In many ways Clemenceau’s statement is an accurate assessment of what would be Monet’s next chapter. Indeed, for the next four years, the artist painted in the vicinity of Giverny, exploring the possibilities of depicting a simple motif in varying degrees of surface complexity, which would be his signature for his major series Stacks of Wheat, Poplars, and Cathedrals.
9

At the top, a blue sky with scattered white clouds stretches across. Below it, a band of green trees runs left to right with a few small buildings partly visible near the horizon. In the foreground, a sloping meadow is filled with red poppies; on the right, an adult in a long dark dress holds a blue parasol with a child in a straw hat nearby, and farther up the hill to the left, a smaller pair—another hat-wearing adult and a child—stand among the flowers. — Fig. 26.17

fig. 26.17
Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Coquelicots*, 1873. Oil on canvas; 50 × 65.3 cm (19 11/16 × 25 3/4 in.). Musée d’Orsay, Paris. © RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY.

Gloria Groom
10

Technical Summary

Claude Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) was painted on a pre-primed, no. 30 seascape (marine) standard-size linen canvas. A supplier’s stamp from Vieille & Troisgros was documented on the back of the original canvas. There is a single, off-white ground layer. Technical examination revealed that a different composition was initially painted on the canvas, one in which a large hill or cliff occupied most of the upper left side of the painting. Texture from the brushwork of the earlier composition remains visible on the surface of the painting. It appears that the artist applied a thin, light-hued, intermediate layer over much of the upper part of the canvas before beginning the final painting. The final composition was painted using both wet-over-dry and wet-in-wet paint applications. The sky, hill, and trees in the final composition consist of fairly thick, continuous paint layers, whereas the poppy field was built up using an open network of individual strokes with small passages of exposed ground visible in places and earlier brushstrokes contributing both texture and color to the final surface. In many areas, the paint has a very fluid appearance, suggesting that Monet modified his tube paints with added medium. The artist made some minor adjustments around the edges of some of the trees; the most significant change involved the tallest tree, which was made narrower along its left edge. Some plant matter was found embedded in the paint layer, possible evidence of the artist having worked outdoors.^[32]11

Multilayer Interactive Image Viewer

The multilayer interactive image viewer is designed to facilitate the viewer’s exploration and comparison of the technical images (fig. 26.18).^[33]
12

Across the bottom, a wide field of green dotted with many small red and pink flowers fills the foreground. In the middle distance, a row of trees runs left to right, with two very tall, narrow trees standing taller than several shorter, rounder trees nearby. Behind them, low blue hills stretch horizontally. The top half shows a bright blue sky scattered with a few small, pale pink-white clouds. — Natural Light

A grayscale scene fills a rectangular frame, with bright white L‑shaped brackets in all four corners and small tick marks along the edges. From top to bottom: the upper area is medium to light gray with broad, sweeping tones; the middle band shows a line of trees, with a tall, slender tree at center and shorter, bushier trees on the left and right, plus a narrow horizontal strip crossing behind them; the lower section is darker and densely textured. Elements appear in black, white, and shades of gray, with the central tree the largest feature and the others smaller and spaced to either side. — X-Ray

Top area shows a broad sky in medium to dark gray tones. Across the middle, a row of dark gray trees runs left to right, including several rounded trees and one very tall, narrow tree slightly right of center, with low, darker hills behind them on the right. The bottom half is a wide, light-to-medium gray field with scattered patches and uneven ground. The tall, narrow tree is the highest element, with shorter trees clustered on both sides. — Infrared Reflectogram (1.5–1.7 µm)

Top: a blue sky with a few small pale peach clouds. Middle: a row of green trees runs left to right, with two very tall, narrow trees near the center and right, and low blue hills set behind them. Bottom: a broad field fills the foreground, covered in mixed greens with scattered pinkish-red patches; the tall trees are the largest vertical elements, rising well above the rest of the tree line. — Raking Light

Top area shows a dark red and orange sky with broad, uneven bands of color. Across the middle, black silhouettes of trees line a low ridge: several short, rounded trees on the left, a very tall narrow tree near center, a few slimmer shapes spaced out, and a large rounded tree on the right. The foreground is a wide band of rough ground in deep red and black tones, stretching across the width. Overall scale suggests the trees dominate the scene, with the tallest near the center standing higher than the others. — Transmitted Light

Top area shows a pale gray sky. Across the middle, a dark row of trees and bushes stretches left to right; a tall, narrow tree stands slightly right of center, with dense, shorter trees to its left and another tall tree on the far right. Behind this row are low hills in medium gray. The foreground is a wide, darker gray field with a rough, mottled surface. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Top third shows a deep blue sky with a few small pink-orange clouds. Across the middle, a dark tree line runs left to right: rounded trees cluster on the left, a very tall narrow tree rises near center (the tallest element), another tall narrow tree stands to its right, with more rounded trees continuing toward the right; low blue hills sit behind the trees slightly right of center. Bottom third is a flat field in dark purplish-brown tones with faint, uneven texture spanning edge to edge. — Ultraviolet

Fig. 26.18

Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Signature

Signature/Stamp

Signed and dated: Claude Monet 91 (lower right, in dull, yellowish-green paint^[34]) (fig. 26.19). Some of the underlying brushstrokes were still wet when the painting was signed (fig. 26.20).
13

Top section shows a textured surface with mixed colors, mainly green, coral pink, and light blue, with small patches of purple. Moving downward, the colors become denser with coral pink and green, and across the lower third runs a line of dark, cursive text that is partly obscured. At the far right edge is a beige border with small dark marks and a visible “9” near the lower right corner. — Fig. 26.19

Detail of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing the signature. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top left features a white scale bar labeled 5.0 mm. From left to right across the middle are three irregular, dark olive-brown patches set within a mottled background of peach and tan with scattered white specks. The upper area is mostly peach and tan, while the lower area shifts to pale green and turquoise with bits of peach. The surface is rough with small pits and fine, hairline cracks visible throughout. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 20

Top and right areas are solid black, taking up most of the space. Bottom-left holds a small rectangular section with dense patches of green, pink, blue, and yellow, bordered by a beige strip along the bottom and right edges. A thin white box highlights a small spot near the lower center of the colored area, where green is prominent with orange and blue spots. Small dark markings and a round brownish spot appear on the beige right edge. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.20

Photomicrograph of the signature of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing wet-in-wet paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Structure and Technique

Support

Canvas
Flax (commonly known as linen).^[35]14

Standard format
The original dimensions were approximately 60 × 92 cm. This corresponds to a no. 30 seascape (marine) standard-size canvas.^[36]15

Weave
Plain weave. Average thread count (standard deviation): 28.6V (0.7) × 27.6H (0.9) threads/cm. The vertical threads were determined to correspond to the warp and the horizontal threads to the weft.^[37] No weave matches were detected with other Monet paintings analyzed for this project.^[38]16

Canvas characteristics
There is mild, relatively even cusping on the top, bottom, and right edges and more pronounced cusping on the left edge, which is also an unprimed edge (see Ground application/texture).17

Stretching
Current stretching: Dates to the 1963 treatment (see Conservation History). Copper tacks are spaced 8–10 cm apart.18

Original stretching: Tack holes are spaced approximately 5–8 cm apart.^[39] The original tack holes correspond to the cusping pattern on all sides.19

Stretcher/strainer
Current stretcher: ICA spring stretcher dates to 1963 treatment (see Conservation History). Depth: 2.5 cm.^[40]20

Original stretcher: Discarded. The pre-1963-treatment stretcher was probably the original stretcher. The 1963 examination report describes it as a five-piece stretcher with a vertical crossbar, mitred joints, and keys (see Conservation History).^[41] Depth: Not documented. Based on intermittent creases along the tacking edges, where it appears that excess fabric may have been folded over the back edge of the original stretcher, the depth appears to have been 1.5–2 cm.21

Manufacturer’s/supplier’s marks
A stamp on the back of the original canvas was transcribed before the painting was lined in 1963 (see Conservation History) (text within palette-shaped frame)^[42]: […] 35 R[UE] […] / PARIS / COULEURS FINES / TOILES PANNEAUX^[43] (fig. 26.21).
22

Light blue graph paper with dark blue handwriting. On the left, a small slanted cursive note reads “stamps on reverse.” On the right half, an outline of a painter’s palette contains block letters that read “35 PARIS,” “COULEURS FINES,” “TOILES,” and “PANNEAUX,” with several short tick marks and dots near the top edge. The palette drawing takes up most of the right side, while the note is smaller and set apart on the left. — Fig. 26.21

Transcription of a supplier’s stamp from the back of the original canvas of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Preparatory Layers

Sizing
Not determined (probably glue).^[44]23

Ground application/texture
The ground layer extends to the edges of the top, bottom, and right tacking margins but stops short of the left edge where the unprimed canvas is visible (fig. 26.22). This indicates that the canvas was cut from a larger piece of primed fabric on three sides; the left edge probably corresponds to the edge of the larger roll of canvas that was attached to the commercial priming frame. The ground consists of a single layer that ranges from approximately 15 to 100 µm in thickness (fig. 26.23). Several tiny bubble holes were observed in the ground layer.
24

Top band shows a thin strip of light beige with a pale blue surface above it. Across the center runs a horizontal brown edge with a dark hole on the left, a small tan circular spot near left‑center, and another dark hole near right‑center. Along the lower side of this edge are peeling, wavy layers and frayed fibers. The bottom is mostly dark shadow with a blurred dark shape at the right edge. — FIg. 26.22

Detail of the left tacking edge of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing unprimed fabric at the edge of the original canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

At the top left, a scale bar labeled 100 micrometers appears over a dark gray background. Across the center, a narrow, wavy horizontal strip shows an uneven white band along its upper edge, with several rounded tan to medium-brown patches that have a cracked surface pattern. Below the white band, layered brown strands sweep left to right, and the strip is bordered above and below by dark gray space. — Monet 22.426 x1351_10x_dkfld_b

Foreground shows a wide green field dotted with many small red and pink flowers. In the middle ground, a row of trees runs left to right, with a very tall, slender tree near the center and shorter, rounder trees on both sides. Low blue hills sit behind the trees. Above, a bright blue sky with a few small white clouds fills the top portion. — Sample Location

Fig. 26.23

Photomicrograph of a cross section of the ground and canvas layers of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91). Original magnification: 100×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Color
The ground is off-white with fine black particles and possibly a few red particles visible microscopically (fig. 26.24, fig. 26.25).
25

At the top, a white horizontal scale bar labeled 2.0 mm sits above a small reddish-orange patch. Across the frame from left to right, a pale beige-gray surface is dotted with many tiny dark brown, short oval or stripe-like flecks that are irregularly spaced. Using the scale for reference, most flecks are well under 1 mm long, and the lighter areas between them form rounded, lumpy shapes of similar small size. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 2

Top area shows a pale blue sky. Below it, a dense row of green trees stretches from left to center, with a tall narrow tree near the right edge. A thin band of muted green runs along the horizon. The foreground is a wide field of green grass covered with many small red and pink flowers. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.24

Photomicrograph of the off-white ground layer of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top left shows a scale bar labeled 50 µm. From left to right across the center, an irregular white band with a grainy texture is bordered by dark gray to black regions above and below. Near the right side of the white band, a thin pale strand runs diagonally with a small orange-red speck nearby and scattered tiny black dots; darker patches cluster toward the lower area. — Monet 22.4465 x1351_20x_dkfld_a

At the top, a bright blue sky with small white clouds spans the scene. Below, a row of green trees lines the horizon, with one very tall, narrow tree near the center and shorter, rounder trees on both sides; a low blue hill appears behind the trees on the right. The bottom half shows a wide field covered in pink-red flowers mixed with green grass. — Sample Location

Fig. 26.25

Photomicrograph of a cross section of the ground layer of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing red and black pigment particles.

Materials/composition
Analysis indicates that the ground contains lead white and calcium carbonate (chalk)^[45] with traces of iron oxide, silica, and various silicates.^[46] Binder: Oil (estimated).26

Compositional Planning/Underdrawing/Painted Sketch

Extent/character
No underdrawing was observed with infrared reflectography (IRR) or microscopic examination.27

Paint Layer

Application/technique and artist’s revisions
Overall, the painting was heavily worked up, as evidenced by the relative density of the paint layers in the X-ray, which also shows extensive brushwork in the central and upper left areas that is unrelated to the final composition (fig. 26.26). The nature of this brushwork is clarified somewhat by the transmitted-infrared image, which clearly shows a much higher horizon line, possibly related to a hill or a cliff, in the upper left half of the painting in the earlier composition (fig. 26.27). The horizon line extends up to 15 cm from the top edge of the canvas at its highest point. The texture of the brushstrokes used to delineate the upper edge of this landform remains visible on the surface of the painting (fig. 26.28). Near the central area of the canvas, there are some arch-shaped and vertical forms that could be related to contours in this form (fig. 26.29).^[47] In some places, the brushwork of the underlying composition was quite thickly applied, which may indicate that the earlier painting was developed beyond simply an initial lay-in of the composition (fig. 26.30); however, no features from the earlier composition were visible on the right side or in the foreground of the canvas. The paint in the sky is fairly continuous and obscures any view of underlying paint colors or brushstrokes related to the first painting. In a few places, a warm off-white-colored layer is visible in the area of the painted-out forms in the upper left, but this seems to be a broadly applied layer, perhaps used to cover the earlier forms or to provide a general tone before beginning the final composition. Only in a few small places, through gaps in the upper brushwork, some darker tones are visible, which may be related to the first composition; for example, the dark-brownish-gray paint underneath the foliage and sky on the right side of the third tree from the left (fig. 26.31).
28

Top area shows a dark, mottled gray field; below it stretches a row of tree-like shapes across the width, with a very tall, narrow one near the center. A thin, lighter horizontal band separates these forms from a dense, textured foreground in mixed grays. Colors are shades of gray from near-black to white, with high contrast in the foreground. White L-shaped brackets sit near all four corners, with small marks along the outer edges. — X-Ray

At the top, a clear blue sky holds a few small pale pink-white clouds. Across the middle, a line of green trees stands, including a very tall, narrow tree near the center, with low blue-purple hills behind them. In the foreground, a broad field of green grass dotted with red and pink flowers stretches from left to right. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.26

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing brushwork unrelated to the final composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Grayscale outdoor scene arranged top to bottom: a light gray sky, a darker mid-band of vegetation, and a dark, textured ground. A tall, narrow tree stands near the center as the tallest element, with shorter, fuller trees on the left and right, and a row of small, dark tree shapes running horizontally behind them. Faint, sloping bands appear in the distance, while the foreground field stretches across the full width. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Black-and-white scene of an outdoor setting. From top to bottom: a dark gray, streaked sky; across the middle, a row of trees with the tallest in the center and shorter, bushier forms to the left and right; along the lower third, a wide band of rough, mottled ground. White L-shaped markers appear in all four corners, with a thin border and small tabs along the edges. — X-Ray

Foreground shows a broad field of green grass dotted with many small red and pink blooms. Across the middle, from left to right, clusters of leafy green trees stand, with several tall, narrow trees rising well above the others, the tallest near the center-right. In the distance, low blue hills run along the horizon beneath a bright blue sky with a few pale clouds. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.27

Transmitted-infrared (Fuji, 1.0–1.1 µm), X-ray, and natural-light images of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing brushwork from an earlier composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Top-left to top-right is a broad area of medium blue, with a few soft, rounded pale pink patches near the upper center and upper right. The middle remains mostly blue with faint linear marks and slightly darker blue areas. Along the lower edge, a small irregular spot of dark green appears near the center-left. No identifiable figures or objects are present. — Fig. 26.28

Raking-light detail of the sky in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing brushwork from an earlier composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top section shows a pale gray sky with darker gray streaks. Across the middle, a row of dark gray to black trees and bushes runs left to right, with one very tall, thin tree near the center and another tall tree on the right; lower, bushier shapes fill the left side. Behind them on the right, low, light-gray hills are faint. In the foreground, a wide, uneven field spans the width in mixed grays and black. — Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)

Fig. 26.29

Transmitted-infrared (Fuji, 1.0–1.1 µm) image of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing forms from an earlier composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top section shows a blue sky with a few faint, pale peach clouds. Lower section features the tops of several trees in green and deep blue, including a tall, narrow tree slightly left of center and rounder, bushier trees to the right and left. The trees form a low band along the bottom edge and appear small compared with the large area of sky. — Fig. 26.30

Raking-light detail of the sky in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing brushwork from an earlier composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

At the top right, a white scale bar labeled 5.0 mm sets the scale. From left to right, the surface shifts from mixed greens with scattered dark gray oval patches to mostly light purple, with thin green streaks extending into the purple area. The texture is uneven and glossy, with raised ridges and small pits most visible near the center and lower right. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 7

Top area shows a pale blue sky. Across the middle, a band of tall green trees and bushes with hints of blue stands from left to right. The bottom two-thirds is a wide field covered in red-orange flowers mixed with green grass. No people or animals are visible. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.31

Photomicrograph of a tree in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing dark purple paint from an earlier layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

As mentioned above, the final composition appears to have been painted on top of a broadly applied intermediate layer. The mainly horizontal brushstrokes of this layer can be seen in the X-ray, in the area of the painted-out forms and underneath the trees of the final painting (fig. 26.32). The texture of these brushstrokes is visible on the surface of the painting and, in a few places, where it was not completely covered by subsequent paint applications, the layer appears to be light in tone: a warm, off-white color (fig. 26.33). In the poppy field composition, the brushwork in the sky is rather vigorous compared with the calm appearance of the sky in the final painting. This is due mainly to highly brushmarked underlayers, including some quickly applied, textural zigzag strokes, which may be related to the earlier composition since they seem to be concentrated outside the area occupied by the landform in the earlier composition. These brushmarks were dry when the blue of the sky was built up over top (fig. 26.34). The warm, pinkish-gray paint of the clouds was applied last, when the underlying blue paint was already dry. The clouds on the left side consist of fairly thickly applied strokes that mostly conceal the blue paint of the sky (fig. 26.35); on the right side, the paint of the clouds is thinly applied and appears to have been wiped or otherwise partially removed, revealing the peaks of the ridges of the blue strokes underneath (fig. 26.36). In the poppy field, an underlayer consisting of thinly applied, mainly horizontal strokes of pale-green paint covers a large portion of the foreground and appears to have been applied directly over the ground layer (fig. 26.37, fig. 26.38). Ground remains visible in places due to the open brushwork, especially in the lower left corner (fig. 26.39). Texture throughout the poppy field was built up using relatively long, diagonal and zigzag strokes of thick paint (often mixtures of lead white and vermilion), which appear radio-opaque (fig. 26.40). At the same time, a relatively solid horizontal band of brushstrokes was applied along the far edge of the field (fig. 26.41, fig. 26.42). The thick brushstrokes and narrow tonal range used in this area blur together when viewed from a distance, providing a sense of recession into space (fig. 26.43). The rest of the surface of the field was then broken up with more discrete touches of green, red, yellow, and blue, which become increasingly intense toward the foreground.
29

Top area shows a wide band of medium to dark gray sky. Across the center, a row of trees spans left to right, with the tallest, slender tree near the middle and smaller, rounder trees on both sides. Bottom area is a dense, mottled strip of ground in light and dark grays; white L‑shaped brackets appear at all four corners and a thin border line runs along the edges. — X-Ray

Top to bottom: a bright blue sky with a few small pale‑pink clouds. Across the middle, a line of green trees runs left to right, with two very tall, narrow trees near the center and right, and low blue hills behind them. The foreground is a wide field of green vegetation dotted with many red patches, extending across the full width. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.32

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing horizontal brushstrokes from an intermediate layer applied between the earlier composition and the final painting. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Figs. 26.33–26.37

Top half is mostly light blue. Left and right edges show dense clusters of foliage in green and blue with touches of purple, creating a vertical open space in the center. Lower section continues with mixed greens and blues, and the central opening narrows toward the bottom. — Fig. 26.33

Detail of the tree line in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing horizontal brushstrokes from an intermediate layer applied between the earlier composition and the final painting. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

A blue surface fills the frame, ranging from light to medium blue with subtle variations. From top to bottom, faint diagonal ridges and swirls are visible across the surface; the right edge appears slightly lighter. In the bottom left corner, a small patch of green is present. No distinct objects, text, or people are visible. — Fig. 26.34

Detail of the sky in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing the texture of brushstrokes from below the surface. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

A light blue background fills the frame from edge to edge. Near the middle, a large irregular oval shape of very pale pink and white sits slightly to the right, taking up roughly a third of the scene with soft edges that blend into the blue. No other distinct shapes or objects are visible. — Fig. 26.35

Detail of a cloud in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing the texture of brushstrokes from below the surface. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top to bottom, a light blue surface is covered with thin, wavy ridges running diagonally from upper left to lower right. Near the center, a soft oval patch of pale pink and light purple blends into the blue, with the ridges continuing across it. The texture is mostly uniform across the frame, with slightly denser lines toward the top right and bottom left. — Fig. 26.36

Detail of a cloud in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing possible scraping or wiping of the warm-gray paint of the cloud. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top edge shows a narrow band of dark green vegetation with a thin strip of tan ground beneath it. Below that, an open field fills most of the view, dominated by coral-red patches over light green with small accents of blue and yellow. The patches appear slightly larger and denser toward the bottom, especially at the lower left, and become finer and more mixed with tan toward the center and top. — Fig. 26.37

Detail of the poppy field in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing a broadly applied pale-green layer that is exposed through breaks in the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Thick, ridged layers of colored material fill the frame; across the top are olive-brown swaths mixed with lavender and teal, with small orange patches, fine cracks, and a small white lump near the upper center. The middle band shows tan and orange crossing over a light blue and white area. The lower half is mostly pink, peach, and rusty orange with many small pits and raised ridges, plus a few thin dark strands; a black scale bar at the bottom left reads 1.0 cm. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 52

Most of the frame is solid black, with a smaller rectangular landscape on the right. From top to bottom in that scene: pale blue sky; a large green tree near the center-right with smaller green-yellow bushes to the left; and a ground band of green covered with many red flowers. A small black-outlined square sits in the lower right area of the flower field, while the tree is the largest element in the scene. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.38

Photomicrograph of the poppy field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing a pale-green underlayer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top edge shows broken bands of blue and orange running diagonally. From top center to middle, dense orange speckles sit on a beige background, with green and blue streaks spreading toward the right; the surface appears uneven with small ridges. Bottom area has tan and pale green swirls with scattered blue patches, and a small orange wedge near the upper right. A scale bar along the bottom reads 1.0 cm for size reference. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 47

A pale blue sky with soft peach tones spans the top third. Across the middle, a large green tree with dark blue and purple areas stands at center-left, with lower, lighter green shrubs continuing to the right. The bottom third is a flat field of green with scattered red and pink patches running left to right. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.39

Photomicrograph of the poppy field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing an area of exposed ground. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a broad sky in light and dark gray, with white L‑shaped corner marks near each edge of the rectangular frame. Across the middle, a row of trees runs left to right, with one tall, narrow tree near the center and shorter, bushier trees on both sides. The bottom quarter contains a dense, dark gray band of ground, separated from the trees by a thin, lighter horizontal strip; everything appears in shades of gray only. — X-Ray

Top area shows a bright blue sky with a few small, pale pink-white clouds. Across the middle, a line of green trees runs left to right, including two tall, narrow trees that rise higher than the rest, with low blue hills visible behind them on the right. Foreground features a broad field of green grass covered with scattered red and pink flowers, stretching across the width and meeting the tree line. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.40

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing zigzag brushstrokes used to build up texture in the poppy field. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Grayscale scene bordered by four white L-shaped corner markers and small tick marks along the edges. From left to right, clustered tree forms fill the middle ground, with a tall, slender tree near the center rising higher than the others beneath a dark gray sky. A narrow horizontal band crosses the center, and the lower third shows rough, mottled ground in mixed light and dark grays. — X-Ray

Foreground shows a broad, flat field of green dotted with small red flowers. Across the middle from left to right, a line of green trees stands, including several tall, narrow trees that rise higher than the rounder trees; one is near the center and another near the center-right. In the background, low blue hills run horizontally. At the top, a bright blue sky holds a few small, pale clouds. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.41

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing strong horizontal brushstrokes used to define the far edge of the poppy field. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Foreground shows dense green vegetation with many small coral-red patches and touches of blue and yellow. In the middle area, a wide field of coral-red and light green stretches left to right, with clusters of color that are small compared to the overall expanse. Along the top, a dark green horizontal band of taller growth runs across with a taller mass at the far left, beneath a thin strip of muted blue and violet. — Fig. 26.42

Detail of the poppy field in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing touches of bright green and red paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Close-up view of a textured surface with raised ridges and grooves. From top to bottom: deep blue and purple along the upper edge, a narrow band of green beneath it, then tan and light brown areas transitioning to broad diagonal streaks of peach, orange, and beige in the lower half, with small patches of olive green and cream. Elements range from thin lines to thicker ridges, and a black scale bar at the bottom right marks 1.0 cm. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 71

On a mostly black background, a small rectangular scene sits near the lower left: sky in pale blue at the top, a large green and blue tree in the middle, and a field of pink-red and green vegetation at the bottom. The tree stands slightly left of center with shorter shrubs on both sides. A thin black square appears near the lower-left edge of the scene. Single image only, with the landscape much smaller than the surrounding black area. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.43

Photomicrograph of the far edge of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

In general, the upper paint layers were worked up wet-in-wet, using paint that had a rather fluid consistency. The individual strokes do not hold the peaks of the brush ridges, resulting in relatively smooth surfaces, which suggest that the artist added medium or thinner to his tube paints to adjust the consistency (fig. 26.44).^[48] In some places, the fluidity of the paint has caused colors to swirl together on the canvas (fig. 26.45). Much of the crisp, brush-marked texture visible on the surface of the painting, which is accentuated when the work is viewed in raking light, was built up from the underlying layers that were allowed to dry before subsequent layers of more fluid paint were applied on top. Where the more fluid paint is thickly applied, it can obscure the underlying texture; where it is thinly applied, it often conforms to the ridges of the strokes underneath, creating a varied surface (fig. 26.46). In spite of the relatively thick buildup of paint overall, the texture of the canvas weave remains evident in some places where the paint is more thinly applied, throughout the sky and the field (fig. 26.47). The trees and hill, on the other hand, are more thickly built up, which largely obscures the canvas texture (fig. 26.48).
30

From top to bottom, a rough, uneven surface shows thick ridges and swirls of green with lighter yellow-green streaks, plus darker blue-green patches near the upper left. Along the left edge, a narrow strip of tan, grainy surface is visible, with scattered small purple areas near the lower left and mid-right. The lower area features broader green swirls with tiny pits and a few small blue and purple specks. At the bottom center, a white scale bar labeled 1.0 cm is present. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 4

Top area shows a pale blue sky with soft hints of pink and gray. Across the middle, a large green and blue cluster of trees sits slightly right of center, with smaller greenery on the left; a small white outlined square appears on the left over the foliage. The bottom section is a wide field of green with scattered red and pink patches extending across the width. The scene sits in the upper left of the overall frame, with wide black space to the right and below. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.44

Photomicrograph of the foliage in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing fluid paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area is mostly olive green with scattered patches of yellow and teal; near the upper center-left, a curved ribbon of yellow edged with white sits within the green. The middle region blends green and purple with lumpy, ridged texture, and small specks of gray and blue appear toward the lower left. The bottom portion continues with green and purple, with more yellow near the lower right; along the bottom edge, a black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm indicates this is a close-up view. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 54

At the top, a pale blue sky with a few faint pink areas. In the middle, a large green-and-blue tree fills much of the scene, with smaller green bushes to its left and right; near the lower middle-left of the foliage there is a small black square mark. Along the bottom, a wide field runs across the width with mixed red-pink and green patches. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.45

Photomicrograph of the foliage in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing the swirling together of different colors resulting from the fluid paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Figs. 26.46–26.48

A tall, tapered vertical cluster of green and dark blue shapes rises from the lower left toward the upper center. Small touches of yellow appear within the cluster, which occupies about one-fifth of the width and roughly two-thirds of the height. The rest of the scene is a uniform light blue background, with the cluster positioned slightly left of center. — Fig. 26.46

Detail of a treetop in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing how the fluid paint conforms to the texture of the underlying brushstrokes. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

From left to right, a textured light blue surface fills the view, with subtle shifts to slightly darker blue in places. Near the center-left, an irregular patch of pale pink spreads outward with soft, uneven edges, with a few smaller pink spots nearby. Shallow ridges and grooves run across the surface in curved and diagonal directions. — Fig. 26.47

Detail of the sky in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing the texture of the canvas weave in thinly painted passages. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a light blue-gray sky. Across the middle, a broad blue mountain ridge extends left to right, with darker blue and small patches of green. Bottom area has low green and brown shrubs, and along the far left edge a tall, narrow tree with yellow‑green foliage rises nearly the full height. — Fig. 26.48

Detail of the hill in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing the relatively thick buildup of paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

A few changes were made around the edges of some of the trees late in the painting process. In these areas, the artist reduced the foliage by extending blue paint from the sky over the blue and green strokes of the leaves, which still remain faintly visible on the surface (fig. 26.49). This is most evident along the left edge of the tallest tree (fig. 26.50). The infrared reflectogram shows that this tree was originally significantly wider, especially near the top (fig. 26.51).
31

Top to bottom: a wide, pale blue sky fills most of the view. In the middle, two tall trees with dense green, blue, and purple leaves stand slightly left of center, with shorter trees and bushes in similar colors spreading to the right. Along the bottom, a narrow band of ground appears in muted pink and light green, separated from the trees by a darker green line of vegetation. A thin beige strip runs along the far right edge. — Fig. 26.49

Detail of the trees in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing adjustments made to the edges. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

From top to bottom, a tall, narrow vertical shape in mixed greens and dark blues runs through the middle, with small touches of yellow and a thin reddish-brown line in the lower half. A light blue background fills the rest of the scene from edge to edge. The vertical form spans nearly the full height and sits slightly right of center, occupying a small fraction of the width. — Fig. 26.50

Detail of a tree in Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) showing adjustments made to the foliage. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a dark gray sky. Across the middle, a row of trees runs left to right in medium to dark grays, with rounded clusters and two tall, narrow trees—one near the center that is the tallest and another slightly shorter toward the right; low, dark hills sit behind parts of the trees. The bottom section is a wide field in lighter to medium grays with patchy, uneven ground stretching across the scene. — Infrared Reflectrogam (1.5–1.7 µm)

Top section shows a bright blue sky with a few small, pale pink clouds. Across the middle, a line of green trees runs left to right, with two very tall, narrow trees standing higher than the others; low, blue hills sit behind them. The foreground is a wide field of green with many red and pink flowers spread throughout, covering most of the lower half. The tallest trees are near the center and right side, with shorter, rounder trees clustered to the left and between them. — Natural Light

Fig. 26.51

Infrared-reflectogram (Goodrich, 1.5–1.7 µm) and natural-light images of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing changes made to the composition. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465. Interactive image.

Some plant matter was observed embedded in the paint layer, along the lower edge of the painting (fig. 26.52, fig. 26.53).^[49] In some places, only the impression of the material in the once soft paint remains, either having fallen from the surface or been plucked out by the artist. These accretions occurred during the painting process, since subsequent brushstrokes were observed to pass over both the material (fig. 26.54) and the impressions (fig. 26.55). Several gouges and areas of topped impasto, which occurred when the paint was still soft, were observed under magnification throughout the field. Along the bottom edge, areas of flattened paint were also seen (fig. 26.56). These are probably accidents from handling and/or transporting the painting before it was completely dry.
32

Top area shows mottled green with yellow flecks, with small patches of pale pink and orange at the upper right. Across the middle, green patches meet a rounded blue area that shifts from bright blue to light blue and white on the right edge. The bottom band is speckled brown and green with a thin beige line shape near the lower left; a black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm runs along the lower right. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 29

Top shows a pale blue sky. Across the upper middle, a line of green and blue trees runs left to right, with two taller tree shapes on the right; below, a broad field fills the lower two-thirds in red and orange with scattered green patches. To the right of this landscape, a large solid black area occupies the rest of the frame, and a small blue‑green square overlay appears near the bottom left corner of the landscape. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.52

Photomicrograph of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing plant matter embedded in the paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a rough surface in mottled green with patches of yellow and blue-violet. Near the center-right, a narrow beige strip with fine parallel ridges runs vertically from the upper middle to the lower middle, bordered by small green clumps on a brownish-gray ground. Along the bottom edge, a black scale bar labeled 1.0 cm is visible. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 59

Top area shows a pale blue sky. Below it, a row of tall trees in green and blue tones runs left to right, with a particularly tall, narrow tree near the right edge. The lower two-thirds is a wide foreground field covered in dense red and green patches of foliage. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.53

Photomicrograph of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing plant matter embedded in the paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows uneven patches of green and yellow with streaks of light purple and blue. Across the middle, a thin tan line runs diagonally from upper left to lower right, surrounded by clusters of green bumps with small bits of purple and pink; the lower left corner includes a small red patch. Bottom edge continues with green and yellow ridges and scattered tiny dark specks. A scale bar at the bottom labeled 2.0 mm indicates the view spans only a few millimeters. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 61

Left side of the frame is mostly solid black; on the right is a tall rectangular scene. From top to bottom inside that rectangle: pale blue sky; across the upper middle, a line of tall trees in greens and blues, including a thin tree at the far right; below, a wide field covered in red and pink patches mixed with green areas. The trees are large shapes relative to the small patches in the field, and colors are mainly blue, green, and red. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.54

Photomicrograph of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing original paint that overlaps plant matter embedded in the paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a tan diagonal band with fine parallel lines, bordered by mottled greens and small red‑orange spots; near the top right is a small bright red patch. Center features a bluish‑purple zone with scattered light green and yellow streaks, meeting thicker patches of green and tan along the left and right edges. Bottom area has swirling ridges of dark green and tan with a few thin blue slivers; a 2.0 mm scale bar at the bottom indicates this is a very close view. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 65

Top section shows a pale blue sky with a few small light pink clouds. Across the middle, a long dark blue ridge runs left to right, with a band of green shrubs in front and a tall, narrow green tree at the right edge. The lower half is a broad field of green grass covered with many red and orange flower patches, with small hints of blue and yellow mixed in; the field occupies most of the scene. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.55

Photomicrograph of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing original paint that overlaps an impression left by plant matter. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Top area shows a bumpy surface in mixed greens and orange, with small patches of yellow and touches of blue. From left to right across the center, olive‑green ridges are crossed by bright red‑orange streaks and scattered white spots; the right center includes a small teal‑and‑yellow patch. The bottom area remains mostly olive and green with clusters of red‑orange and white, and a thin black bar labeled “5.0 mm” runs along the lower edge. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 44

Top area shows a pale blue sky. Across the middle, a dense row of green trees stretches left to right, with one taller tree near the right edge. The bottom half is a broad field covered in red and green patches extending across the width. A small black square with a gold outline sits near the center of the bottom edge. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.56

Photomicrograph of the bottom edge of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing an area of flattened paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Painting tools
Brushes including 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm width, flat ferrule (based on width and shape of brushstrokes). Several brush hairs are embedded in the paint layers (fig. 26.57).
33

Top area shows a mottled blue-green and yellow textured surface with small pits and streaks. Across the center, a thin tan strand runs diagonally left-to-right over an irregular area of off-white and pink with small rounded bumps and holes, surrounded by more green and yellow patches. Bottom area continues the same colors with additional pits and raised spots. A scale bar at the bottom reads 2.0 mm, indicating a very small viewing scale. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 41

Top area shows a pale blue sky with a few light clouds. Across the middle, a blue‑violet ridge runs left to right with a low band of green shrubs, and a tall, narrow green tree stands near the right edge. The foreground is a broad field of green and yellow grasses densely dotted with small red and orange flowers, which appear small compared to the tall tree in the distance. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.57

Photomicrograph of the field in Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing a brush hair embedded in the paint layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Palette
Analysis indicates the presence of the following pigments: lead white, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, vermilion, red lake, emerald green, viridian, cobalt blue, and ultramarine blue.^[50] UV fluorescence suggests that the artist used red lake throughout the poppy field.^[51]34

Binding media
Oil (estimated).^[52]35

Surface Finish

Varnish layer/media
The painting is currently unvarnished. In 1997, the synthetic varnish applied in 1963 was removed. The 1963 examination report states that the painting was unvarnished at that time.^[53] (see Conservation History). The painting has a soft, relatively matte appearance with subtle variations in gloss depending on the qualities of the paint.36

Conservation History

In 1963, the canvas was wax-resin lined and mounted on an ICA spring stretcher. The treatment report states that “the new stretcher was made a bit larger than the painting so that all parts of the painting would be exposed.” Surface grime was removed. A spray coat of polyvinyl acetate (PVA) AYAA was applied. Retouching was carried out along the right edge where a significant border of unpainted ground was exposed after restretching. A final spray coat of methacrylate resin L-46 was applied.^[54]37

In 1997, the synthetic varnish applied in 1963 was removed.^[55]38

Condition Summary

The painting is in good condition. The canvas is wax-resin lined and stretched taut on an ICA spring stretcher. The tacking edges are deteriorated from wear and handling with moderate associated loss of ground on the edges and foldovers. There are a few tiny paint losses, mainly along the bottom edge. Small areas of flattened and abraded paint appear to be due to handling when the paint was still soft. There is some flattened paint and wood fibers around the edges, probably caused by framing while the paint was still soft. Cracking is minimal and, where present, is very fine. There are very light stretcher-bar cracks in the area of the original vertical crossbar, as well as some microscopic drying cracks specific to the paint of the signature and date (fig. 26.58). Some retouching residues are visible around the edges. There are a few tiny accretions in the sky and some gold from the frame around the edges. The painting is currently unvarnished.

39

Top area shows light purple and tan regions with small mint-green spots. Center contains two irregular vertical brown shapes, with scattered pale blue, green, and tan patches around them. Left side has darker green shapes with tiny yellow flecks, while the bottom is mottled with lavender, green, and small touches of peach; the surface appears uneven with fine cracks and small pits. A vertical white scale bar labeled 5.0 mm runs along the left edge. — Monet 22.4465 MIC 11

Top section is solid black. Near the bottom are two similar rectangular panels, one above the other, each filled with mottled patches of green, red-orange, blue, and yellow; a thin beige band runs along the very bottom of each, with a faint horizontal line of dark brown marks just above it. A small white square outline sits near the lower-left area in both panels, surrounding a small spot. The lower panel is wider than the upper one but shows the same colors and features. — Detail Location

Fig. 26.58

Photomicrograph of the signature of Monet’s Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890–91) showing localized microcracking. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Kimberley Muir
40

Frame

Current frame: The frame is not original to the painting. It is an Italian, eighteenth-century, Salvator Rosa, scotia frame with carved and applied ribbon and reel at the top of the scotia and carved ogee acanthus-leaf-and-shield sight molding. The frame is water gilded over a thin, yellowish-raw sienna colored bole. Only the top convex molding is burnished; the other gilded surfaces are matte. The sides and back fillet edge are not gilded and are painted in raw sienna. The frame retains the original glue size. The mitered face and sight moldings are poplar and are applied to a half-lapped cassetta of poplar and sweet chestnut. The ribbon-and-reel ornament was carved and gilded independently and pinned to the fillet top of the scotia. The molding, from perimeter to interior, is scotia side; convex molding with treacle back; fillet with applied three-quarter-round ribbon-and-reel molding; scotia; and ogee with acanthus-leaf-and-shield motif (fig. 26.59).^[56]
41

Top area shows a bright blue sky with a few small, pale clouds. Below that is a line of green trees, with two tall, narrow trees near the center and lower blue hills behind them. Foreground is a wide field of red‑pink flowers mixed with green, stretching from left to right. A thick, gold-colored frame surrounds the scene. — Fig. 26.59

Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) in its current frame. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.4465.

Previous frame (installed by 1975): The work was previously housed in a mid-twentieth-century, American, silver-gilt, cushion-shaped molding frame with a ribbon and reel on the outer edge and an independent liner (fig. 26.60). By 1995, the frame was reduced in size and the linen liner removed.^[57]
42

On an olive-green gallery wall, four framed landscape paintings are arranged with one on the far left, two stacked in the center, and a larger piece on the right. Left to right: the left painting shows a single conical haystack near water under a pale sky; the upper center painting shows a flat field with green trees and a tall, narrow tree against blue-purple hills; the lower center painting shows a rocky brown hillside with a narrow stream and patches of green. The rightmost, largest painting shows two rounded mound-like stacks in a pale field with white patches beneath an orange and lavender sky. Black wall labels with white numbers (86 by the left piece, 84 and 83 between the center pair) appear beside the frames. — Fig. 26.60

Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) in a previous frame, installed in *Paintings by Monet*, Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Kirk Vuillemot
43

Possibly sold by the artist to Hamman, Paris, as agent for Knoedler and Company, New York, Sept. 1891.^[58]44

Acquired by Potter Palmer, Chicago, by Jan. 24, 1893.^[59]45

On deposit from Potter Palmer, Chicago, to Durand-Ruel, New York, by Jan. 24, 1893.^[60]46

Sold by Potter Palmer, Chicago, to Durand-Ruel, New York, Jan. 24, 1893, for 5,000 francs.^[61]47

Sold by Durand-Ruel, New York, to William W. Kimball, Chicago, Apr. 16, 1901, for $3,200.^[62]48

By descent from William W. Kimball (died 1904), Chicago, to his wife, Mrs. William W. (Evaline M. Cone) Kimball, Chicago.^[63]49

Bequeathed by Mrs. William W. (Evaline M. Cone) Kimball (died 1921), Chicago, to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.
50

New York, Fine Arts Society Building, Loan Exhibition, Feb. 1893, cat. 40, as Champ des Coquelicots, Lent by Mr. Durand-Ruel.^[64]51

New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Exposition of Forty Paintings by Claude Monet, Jan. 12–27, 1895, cat. 3, as Coquelicots. 1891.^[65]52

Possibly Boston, St. Botolph Club, Exhibition of Paintings by Claude Monet, Feb. 4–16, 1895, cat. 25, as Coquelicots. 1891.^[66]53

Buffalo (N.Y.), Library Building, Buffalo Society of Artists, Fifth Annual Exhibition, Mar. 23–Apr. 11, 1896, cat. 57 (ill.), as Landscape, Durand-Ruel.^[67]54

Possibly Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Second Annual Exhibition, Nov. 4, 1897–Jan. 1, 1898, cat. 156, as Red Poppies.^[68]55

Possibly Omaha, Neb., Trans–Mississippi and International Exposition, Fine Arts Exhibit, June 1–Nov. 1, 1898, cat. 378, as Coquelicots. Loaned by Durand–Ruel, Paris.^[69]56

Art Institute of Chicago, The Paintings of Claude Monet, Apr. 1–June 15, 1957, no cat. no.^[70]57

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings by Monet, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975, cat. 84 (ill.). (fig. 26.61)
58

A museum gallery wall displays four framed landscape paintings on an olive-green wall: one on the left, two stacked in the center, and a larger one on the right. From left to right, the first shows a reddish-brown conical stack in a pale field with bluish cliffs; above center is a light scene with a tan field, scattered green trees, and distant blue hills; below center is a brown rocky slope descending to a narrow blue‑gray waterway with green shrubs; the rightmost, largest piece shows two conical stacks on a light purple ground under an orange sky. Gold or light-wood frames surround the works, small black wall labels with white numbers sit between them, and a thin barrier wire runs along the lower wall above beige carpet. — Fig. 26.61

Installation of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) in *Paintings by Monet*, Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Trésors impressionnistes du Musée de Chicago, June 27–Aug. 31, 1980, cat. 13 (ill.).59

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, June 28–Sept. 16, 1984, cat. 103 (ill.); Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 23, 1984–Jan. 6, 1985; Paris, Galeries Nationales d’Exposition du Grand Palais, as L’impressionnisme et le paysage français, Feb. 4–Apr. 22, 1985, cat. 102 (ill.).60

Auckland City Art Gallery, Claude Monet: Painter of Light, Apr. 29–June 9, 1985, cat. 20 (ill.); Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales, June 21–Aug. 4, 1985; Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, Aug. 14–Sept. 29, 1985.61

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, Feb. 7–Apr. 29, 1990, cat 12 (ill.); Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, May 19–Aug. 12, 1990; London, Royal Academy of Arts, Sept. 7–Dec. 9, 1990. (fig. 26.62)
62

From left to right: a pale blue-gray gallery wall holds several small to medium framed paintings in gold-toned frames above a white baseboard and a low metal stanchion barrier. Straight ahead, an open doorway reveals another room with a single framed work visible on the far wall, while the back wall here also holds a medium painting. On the right wall, four small framed paintings with blue and green tones hang in a row. The floor is light brown herringbone wood with wide white trim along the walls. — Fig. 26.62

Installation of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) in *Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings*, Art Institute of Chicago, May 19–Aug. 12, 1990. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995, cat. 95 (ill.). (fig. 26.63)
63

Gallery room with a dark ceiling and brown walls displays five framed artworks hung in a row across the left and back walls. From left to right: a gold-framed landscape with green fields; a smaller landscape with blue sky and a tall dark structure; a light-toned scene with thin trees over green ground; a darker scene of two people in a narrow red boat with oars; and a large scene of three people seated in a boat on deep blue water. In the foreground, a long, low brown bench sits centered on a brown herringbone-pattern floor, with low railings along the walls beneath the artworks. — Fig. 26.63

Installation of Monet’s *Poppy Field (Giverny)* (1890–91) in *Claude Monet, 1840–1926*, Art Institute of Chicago, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Omaha, Neb., Joslyn Art Museum, On View to the World: Paintings at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, 1898, May 30–Aug. 16, 1998, no cat.^[71]64

Florence, Sala Bianca di Palazzo Pitti, Claude Monet: La poesia della luce; Sette capolavori dell’Art Institute di Chicago a Palazzo Pitti, June 2–Aug. 29, 1999, no cat. no. (ill.).65

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Claude Monet: Effet de soleil—Felder im Frühling, May 20–Sept. 24, 2006, cat. 30 (ill.).^[72]66

Musée d’Art Américain Giverny/Terra Foundation for American Art, Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, Apr. 1–July 1, 2007, no. cat. no. (ill.); San Diego Museum of Art, July 22–Oct. 1, 2007 (Giverny only).67

Fort Worth, Tex., Kimbell Art Museum, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, June 29–Nov. 2, 2008, cat. 74 (ill.).
68

American Fine Arts Society, Catalogue: Loan Exhibition, exh. cat. (Fine Arts Society Building, 1893), p. 39, cat. 40.^[73]69

Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, Exposition of Forty Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. (Durand-Ruel, 1895), cat. 3.^[74]70

Possibly St. Botolph Club, Exhibition of Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. (St. Botolph Club, 1895), cat. 25.^[75]71

Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution de cathédrales,” La justice, May 20, 1895, p. 1.^[76]72

Georges Clemenceau, Le grand Pan (Charpentier, 1896), p. 431.^[77]73

Buffalo, N.Y., Society of Artists, Catalogue of the Fifth Annual Exhibition, exh. cat. (Buffalo Society of Artists, 1896), p. 15, cat. 57 (ill.).^[78]74

Possibly Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Second Annual Exhibition, exh. cat. (Carnegie Art Galleries, 1898), cat. 156.^[79]75

Possibly Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, Official Catalogue of Fine Arts Exhibit, Illustrated, exh. cat. (Klopp & Bartlett Co., 1898), p. 88, cat. 378.^[80]76

Art Institute of Chicago, Handbook of Sculpture, Architecture, Paintings, and Drawings, pt. 2, Paintings and Drawings (Art Institute of Chicago, 1920), p. 60, cat. 762.77

Art Institute of Chicago, “Accessions and Loans,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 16, 7 (Dec. 1922), p. 98.78

M. C., “Monets in the Art Institute,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago19, 2 (Feb. 1925), p. 19.79

Georges Clemenceau, Claude Monet, les Nympheas (Librairie Plon, 1928), p. 85.^[81]80

Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1932), p. 164, cat. 22.4465.81

Oscar Reuterswärd, Monet: En konstnärshistorik (Bonniers, 1948), p. 289.82

Art Institute of Chicago,“Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), pp. 33.83

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), p. 321.84

Susan Wise, ed., Paintings by Monet, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 141, cat. 84 (ill.).85

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 132; 133, cat. 1253 (ill.).86

Robert Herbert, “Method and Meaning in Monet,” Art in America 67, 5 (Sept. 1979), pp. 98, 102.87

Musée Toulouse-Lautrec and Art Institute of Chicago, Trésors impressionnistes du Musée de Chicago, exh. cat. (Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, 1980), pp. 33, cat. 12 (ill.); 67.88

Andrea P. A. Belloli, ed., A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, exh. cat. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), p. 365.89

Richard Brettell, “The Fields of France,” in A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, ed. Andrea P. A. Belloli, exh. cat. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), pp. 256; 260; 261, no. 103 (ill.).90

Richard Brettell, “La champagne française,” in Réunion des Musées Nationaux, L’impressionnisme et le paysage français, exh. cat. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1985), pp. 276; 278; 279, no. 102 (ill.).91

Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), pp. 176; 192, pl. 80.92

Auckland City Art Gallery, Claude Monet: Painter of Light, exh. cat. (Auckland City Art Gallery/NZI, 1985), pp. 80–81, cat. 30 (ill.).93

John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), pp. 197–98; 199, fig. 251.94

Richard R. Brettell, French Impressionists (Art Institute of Chicago/Abrams, 1987), pp. 82 (ill.), 83, 118.95

Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 71; 76, pl. 19; 273, n. 12; 295, cat. 12.96

Anna Barskaïa and Evguenia Gueorguievskaïa, Claude Monet: Tableaux des musées d’URSS, introduction by Nina Kalitina, trans. Dominique Maliarevitch-Millot and Olga Mandryka (Cercle d’Art, 1990), p. 112.97

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 5, Supplément aux peintures: Dessins; Pastels; Index (Wildenstein Institute, 1991), p. 200, letter 2837.98

Sylvie Patin, Monet: “Un oeil … mais, bon Dieu, quel oeil!” (Gallimard/Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1991), pp. 102 (ill.), 103 (detail), 172. Translated by Anthony Roberts as Monet: The Ultimate Impressionist (Abrams, 1993), pp. 102 (ill.), 103 (detail), 171.99

Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), pp. 43–44; 85, pl. 14; 108.100

Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), pp. 116, cat. 95 (ill.); 226; 227.101

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 262 (ill.), 273.102

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478.103

Heide Michels, Monet’s House: An Impressionist Interior, trans. Helen Ivor (Clarkson Potter, 1997), pp. 80–81 (ill.).104

Christopher Burbach, “Joslyn Show: Art of 1898 Expo,” Morning World-Herald, June 2, 1998, pp. 35, 37.105

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. 32, 33 (ill.).106

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. 131 (ill.).107

Susan G. Larkin, American Impressionism: The Beauty of Work, with entries by Susan G. Larkin and Arlene Katz Nichols, exh. cat. (Bruce Museum of Arts and Science, 2005), p. 46, fig. 37.108

Christofer Conrad, “From Impression to Organization of the Picture,” in Christian von Holst and Christofer Conrad, with contributions by Roman Zieglgänsberger and Katja Matauschek, Claude Monet: Fields in Spring, exh. cat. (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Hatje Cantz, 2006), pp. 96–97, fig. 70; 100.^[82]109

Christian von Holst, “Travel Impressions,” in Christian von Holst and Christofer Conrad, with contributions by Roman Zieglgänsberger and Katja Matauschek, Claude Monet: Fields in Spring, exh. cat. (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Hatje Cantz, 2006), pp. 38; 41, fig. 18.^[83]110

Christian von Holst and Christofer Conrad, with contributions by Roman Zieglgänsberger and Katja Matauschek, Claude Monet: Fields in Spring, exh. cat. (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Hatje Cantz, 2006), pp. 116–17 (detail); 157, cat. 30; 163.^[84]111

Katherine M. Bourguignon, ed., Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, exh. cat. (Terra Foundation for American Art/Musée d’Art Américain Giverny/University of Chicago Press, 2007), pp. 77, 89 (ill).112

Margaret Werth, “‘A Long Entwined Effort’: Colonizing Giverny,” in Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, ed. Katherine M. Bourguignon, exh. cat. (Terra Foundation for American Art/Musée d’Art Américain Giverny/University of Chicago Press, 2007), p. 59.113

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 and Co., 2007), p. 104.114

Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Kimbell Art Museum, 2008), pp. 22; 154 (detail); 155, cat. 74 (ill.). Simultaneously published as Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2008), pp. 22; 154 (detail); 155, cat. 74 (ill.).^[85]
115

Documentation from the Durand-Ruel Archives

Inventory number
Deposit Durand-Ruel New York 5041
New York Deposit Book 1888–1893^[86]116

Inventory number
Stock Durand-Ruel New York 1015
New York Stock Book 1894–1905^[87]
117

Labels and Inscriptions

Undated

Label
Location: stretcher
Method: printed label with typewritten and handwritten script and green-ink inventory stamp
Content: FROM / THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO / CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60603, U.S.A. / To / French / MONET, Claude / A Field of Flowers in France / Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection 1922.4465
Stamp: Inventory—1980–1981 (fig. 26.64)
118

A white rectangular label sits against a brown strip at the bottom with a gray textured surface above. At the top center, black text reads “FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60603, U.S.A.” and at the upper right, teal text reads “Inventory - 1980 - 1981.” Below, left-aligned lines list “To French,” “MONET, Claude,” and the title “A Field of Flowers,” with “in France” handwritten in blue after the title. Along the bottom right, black text reads “Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection 1922:4465.” — Fig. 26.64

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO / artist Claude Monet / title Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890/91 / medium oil on canvas / credit Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Kimball / Collection / acc.# 1922.4465 / LZ-341-001 1M 1/90 (Rev. 1/90)^[88] (fig. 26.65)
119

Centered on a beige background, a white rectangular label with black text is shown. From top to bottom, it reads “THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO,” then left-aligned fields with entries: “artist” Claude Monet; “title” Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890/91; “medium” oil on canvas; “credit” Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Kimball Collection; and “acc. #” 1922.4465. A small line of black alphanumeric codes appears along the lower right edge. — Fig. 26.65

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: Museum of Fine Arts / Boston, MA 02115 / W. 1253 POPPIES / Art I., Chicago (fig. 26.66)
120

Rectangular off-white label with rounded corners on a dark background. Top text in blue reads “Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA 02115.” Midsection shows “W. 1253 POPPIES” typed in black and underlined in blue, with a small blue dot to the left; the bottom line reads “Art I., Chicago,” also underlined in blue with another small blue dot to the left. — Fig. 26.66

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: Museum of Fine Arts / Boston, MA 02115 / W. 1253 POPPIES / Art I., Chicago (fig. 26.67)
121

Rectangular gray label with rounded corners on a black background, marked by three small blue dots along the left edge and a peeled lower‑right corner. Top line in blue reads “Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA 02115.” Middle section shows black text “W. 1253” on the left and “POPPIES” on the right, both aligned to a blue horizontal line, with the word “POPPIES” appearing once clearly and once faintly beneath. Bottom line in black reads “Art I., Chicago,” underscored by a blue line. — Fig. 26.67

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with typewritten and handwritten script and green-ink inventory stamp
Content: The Art Institute of Chicago / Monet FE7 / 2D / Field of flowers in France. / 1922.4465 / Box 2-E [2-E crossed out]
Stamp: Inventory—1980–1981 (fig. 26.68)
122

A rectangular beige label with a red double border; at the top center, red text reads “The Art Institute of Chicago.” Below left, black text reads “Monet,” with purple handwritten “FE7” over “2D,” and a faint gray line behind that reads “Inventory: 1980–1981.” The center line shows a black underline and the title “Field of flowers in France.” Bottom left reads “1922.4465,” and bottom right reads “Box” followed by a smudged area with a red “3” and a purple “E” over erasures. — Fig. 26.68

Number
Location: stretcher
Method: handwritten script
Content: 22.4465 (fig. 26.69)
123

Top section shows a textured gray surface spanning the width. Beneath it, a dark brown L-shaped corner piece with visible grain is marked in light gray with the numbers “23465,” with a small hole on the left side. Along the lower right edge, a tightly coiled silver-gray line runs horizontally into a small rectangular fitting beside the corner. — Fig. 26.69

Pre-1980

Stamp
Location: canvas; transcription in conservation file
Method: not documented, text within palette-shaped frame
Content: […] / 35 R[UE] … / PARIS / COULEURS FINES / TOILES PANNEAUX^[89] (fig. 26.70)
124

Blue graph paper with a hand-drawn painter’s palette in blue ink sits center-right, larger than any other element. Inside the palette, block letters read “35 PARIS,” “COULEURS FINES,” and “TOILES PANNEAUX,” with short tick marks along the upper edge. On the left side, a small cursive note reads “stamps on reverse.” — Fig. 26.70

Post-1980

Stamp
Location: stretcher
Method: green-ink stamp
Content: Inventory—1980–1981 (fig. 26.71)
125

Across the top and middle, a horizontal brown surface with visible grain fills the frame. Near the lower center of this surface, a faint dark stamp or writing appears with an underline; the only characters that are somewhat legible are the numbers “1980–1981.” At the upper right are two tiny round pits, and a small pale speck sits left of center, while a darker band runs along the bottom with a blurry dark background below. — Fig. 26.71

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: Los Angeles County Museum of Art / 5905 Wilshire Boulevard / Los Angeles, California 90036 / EX. 84.468 / cat. #103 / Exhib.: A DAY IN THE COUNTRY: IMPRESSIONISM AND THE / FRENCH LANDSCAPE / Dates: 6/28/84–9/16/84 / Artist: Claude Monet / Title: Poppy Field. / Date: 1890 / Medium: Oil on canvas / Size: 24 × 38 in. / Lender: THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, MR AND MRS / W.W. KIMBALL COLLECTION / Accessory Size: 29 × 41 × 2 1/2 in. (fig. 26.72)
126

A rectangular museum label has a dark gray top band and an off-white body with black text. Across the top: “Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” the address “5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90036,” and codes “EX.84.468” and “cat. #103.” From top to bottom the fields read: Exhib.: “A DAY IN THE COUNTRY: IMPRESSIONISM AND THE FRENCH LANDSCAPE”; Dates: “6/28/84-9/16/84”; Artist: “Claude Monet”; Title: “Poppy Field”; Date: “1890”; Medium: “Oil on canvas”; Size: “24 x 38 in.”; Lender: “THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, MR AND MRS W.W. KIMBALL COLLECTION”; Accessory Size: “29 x 41 x 2 1/2 in.” — Fig. 26.72

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with typewritten script
Content: International Cultural Corporation of Australia Limited / Exhibition Claude Monet: Painter / of Light Year 1985 / Artist Claude Monet / Title Poppy Field / Date 1891 / Lender The Art Institute of / Chicago, Illinois / Box No. [blank] (fig. 26.73)
127

Beige, slightly creased paper label with a black border and black text fills the frame, with gray smudges along the right side and corners. From top to bottom, the text reads: “International Cultural Corporation of Australia Limited”; “Exhibition Claude Monet: Painter of Light — Year 1985”; “Artist Claude Monet”; “Title Poppy Field — Date 1891”; “Lender The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois”; and “Box No.” with a blank line. The label occupies the full view, with each section separated by horizontal rules and the lettering in a uniform size. — Fig. 26.73

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with stamped and handwritten script
Content: [Logo] Réunion des musées nationaux Paris / L’Impressionnisme et le paysage français / Galeries nationales du Grand Palais / 4 février–22 avril 1985 / MONET / Titre de l’oeuvre: champ aux coquelicots / Propriétaire: Chicago, The A.I.C. / No du Catalogue: 102 (fig. 26.74)
128

Single off-white rectangular label centered on a dark background, with black print and handwriting plus a purple stamp. Top left is a black circle with a white “m,” and across the top reads “Réunion des musées nationaux Paris,” with a purple stamp underneath: “Impressionnisme et le paysage français, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, 4 février — 22 avril 1985.” Lower section lists three lines: “Titre de l’œuvre: MONET, champ aux coquelicots,” “Propriétaire: Chicago, The A.I.C.,” and “No du Catalogue: 102.” — Fig. 26.74

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
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#: 12 W: 1253 / TITLE: Poppy Field (Giverny) / LENDER: The Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 26.75)
129

Rectangular beige label with rounded corners and black text sits against a dark background. Top lines read “MONET IN THE ’90s: THE SERIES PAINTINGS,” followed by venues and dates: 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). The lower section lists “CAT# : 12 W. 1253,” “TITLE : Poppy Field (Giverny),” and “LENDER: The Art Institute of Chicago.” — Fig. 26.75

Label
Location: not documented; preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label
Content: The Art Institute of Chicago / “Claude Monet: 1840–1926” / July 14, 1995–November 26, 1995 / Catalog: 95 / Poppy Field (Giverny) / Champs aux coquelicots / The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. / Kimball Collection (1922.4465) (fig. 26.76)
130

Rectangular off-white label with rounded corners and black text against a dark background, with light stains near the top left and a worn top-right corner. Top to bottom, the text reads: The Art Institute of Chicago; “Claude Monet: 1840–1926”; July 14, 1995 – November 26, 1995; Catalog: 95; Poppy Field (Giverny); Champ aux coquelicots; The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection (1922.4465). Single image only. — Fig. 26.76

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label with handwritten script
Content: Giverny Impressionniste: une colonie d’artistes, / 1885–1915/Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915 / Musée d’art Américain Giverny, April 1–June 30, 2007 / San Diego Museum of Art, July 21–Sept. 30, 2007 / TR.2007.1.1 / Monet, Claude / Poppy Fields / Oil on canvas (fig. 26.77)
131

Examination and Analysis Techniques

X-radiography

Westinghouse X-ray unit, scanned on Epson Expressions 10000XL flatbed scanner. Scans digitally composited by Robert G. Erdmann, University of Arizona.132

Infrared Reflectography

Goodrich/Sensors Unlimited SU640SDV-1.7RT with H filter (1.1–1.4 µm) and J filter (1.5–1.7 µm); Inframetrics Infracam with 1.5–1.73 µm filter; and Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite 1000B/2 mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm).133

Transmitted Infrared

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite1000B/2 mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm).134

Visible Light

Natural-light, raking-light, and transmitted-light overalls and macrophotography: Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter.135

Ultraviolet

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter and Kodak Wratten 2E filter.136

High-Resolution Visible Light (and Ultraviolet)

Sinar P3 camera with Sinarback eVolution 75H (PECA 918 UV/IR interference cut filter and Kodak Wratten 2E filter).137

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.138

X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

Several spots on the painting were analyzed in situ with a Bruker/Keymaster TRACeR III-V with rhodium tube.139

Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)

Zeiss Universal research microscope.140

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

Cross sections analyzed after carbon coating with a Hitachi S-3400N-II VP-SEM with an Oxford EDS and a Hitachi solid-state BSE detector. Analysis was performed at the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Electron Probe Instrumentation Center (EPIC) facility.141

Automated Thread Counting

Thread count and weave information were determined by Thread Count Automation Project software.^[90]142

Image Registration Software

Overlay images registered using a novel image-based algorithm developed by Damon M. Conover (GW), 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.^[91]143

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. 26.78).
144

Fig. 26.78
Location/Negative #	Format	Purpose	Date	Lighting, Notes
C18260			1947?
Conservation	35 mm color slide	Midtreatment	Aug. 1963	Normal, overall; varnish removed, grime partially removed
Conservation	35 mm color slide	Midtreatment	Aug. 1963	Normal, detail; varnish removed, grime partially removed
Conservation	8 × 10 B&W negative		Aug. 19, 1963	Normal, overall
C39824			1974?
E9115	4 × 5 CT	Pretreatment	Jan. 6, 1986	Normal, overall
E14129		Served as pretreatment for 1997 treatment	Jan. 1988?	Normal, overall
E34150		Midtreatment	Sept. 5, 1997	Normal, overall
E34289		Posttreatment	Sept. 24, 1997	Normal, overall
G28193		Loan/publication	Feb. 7, 2008	Normal, overall
G28194		Loan/publication	Feb. 7, 2008	Normal, detail
132289	Digital	Loan exam	Nov. 2008	Annotated image E34289
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 12, 2010	Detail images of verso, labels (12 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 13, 2010	Normal, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 13, 2010	Infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2 mm filter), overall (2 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 13, 2010	Raking light, overall (2 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 13, 2010	Ultraviolet, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 13, 2010	X-ray films scanned/digitally composited, overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 15, 2010	Scans of verso, labels (7 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 16, 2010	Infrared (Inframetrics, 1.5–1.73 µm filter), overall
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 19, 2010	Transmitted light, overall (4 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 19, 2010	Transmitted infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2 mm filter), overall (3 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 19, 2010	Macro details (23 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 20, 2010	Photomicrographs of surface (71 total)
G33613	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Normal, overall
G33614	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Normal, frame only
G33615	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Painting and frame (composite)
G33616	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Ultraviolet, overall
G33617	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Normal, detail
G33618	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Normal, detail
G33619	Digital	OSCI	Apr. 27, 2010	Normal, detail: signature
G39804	Digital	OSCI	Mar. 12, 2012	Normal, overall; composite of G40005–G40024
G40005–G40024	Digital	OSCI	Mar. 12, 2012	Sections (20 total)
Conservation	Digital	OSCI	Mar. 14, 2012	Infrared (Goodrich, 1.5–1.7 µm filter), overall
G39805	Digital	OSCI	June 13, 2012	Ultraviolet, overall
G41211	Digital	OSCI	June 14, 2012	Normal, frame only

Notes

Poppy Field (Giverny) (W1253) corresponds to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478. The Art Institute currently uses the title that resulted from the research for the exhibition Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings and that reflects information contained within the catalogue raisonné. See Douglas Druick, European Painting, Art Institute of Chicago, memo, Aug. 6, 1990, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. The painting had the following titles during the lifetime of the artist:
Jan. 24, 1893: Coquelicots (Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1894–1905 [no. 1015]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).
Feb. 1893: Champ des Coquelicots (American Fine Arts Society, Catalogue: Loan Exhibition, exh. cat. [Fine Arts Society Building, 1893], p. 39, cat. 40).
Jan. 12, 1895: Coquelicots (Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, Exposition of Forty Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. [Durand-Ruel, 1895], cat. 3).
Possibly Feb. 4, 1895: Coquelicots (St. Botolph Club, Exhibition of Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. [St. Botolph Club, 1895], cat. 25).
Mar. 23, 1896: Landscape (Buffalo Society of Artists, Catalogue of the Fifth Annual Exhibition, exh. cat. [Buffalo Society of Artists, 1896], p. 15, cat. 57 [ill.]).
Possibly Nov. 4, 1897: Red Poppies (Carnegie Institute, Second Annual Exhibition, exh. cat. [Carnegie Art Galleries, 1898], cat. 156).
Possibly June 1, 1898: Coquelicots (Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, Official Catalogue of Fine Arts Exhibit, Illustrated, exh. cat. [Klopp & Bartlett Co., 1898], p. 88, cat. 378).
Apr. 16, 1901: Coquelicots (Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1894–1905 [no. 1015]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).
The painting was dated 1890–91 by Douglas Druick; see Mary Kuzniar, Art Institute of Chicago, memo, Dec. 14, 1989, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. This range includes the inscribed date of 1891 and allows for the possibility that Monet began the painting in 1890, when he was working on similar versions of this same composition—see, for example, Poppy Field (1890; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Mass. [W1251]). Daniel Wildenstein suggests that the Art Institute’s work was painted in 1890. See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478. Previously, Poppy Field (Giverny) has been dated 1890, see Richard R. Brettell, “The Fields of France,” in A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, ed. Andrea P. A. Belloli, exh. cat. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), pp. 256; 260; 261, no. 103 (ill.).
On Monet’s hiatus, see Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 55–63, 67–68.
Paul Tucker and Richard Brettell consider that these four paintings make up the series. See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 273, n. 12; and Richard R. Brettell, “The Fields of France,” in A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, ed. Andrea P. A. Belloli, exh. cat. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), p. 260. Christian von Holst, “Travel Impressions,” in Christian von Holst and Christofer Conrad, with contributions by Roman Zieglgänsberger and Katja Matauschek, Claude Monet: Fields in Spring, exh. cat. (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Hatje Cantz, 2006), pp. 38–43, includes an additional work, Poppy Field (1890; State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg [W1255]), which shows the same subject of poppies, framed slightly differently and with a different array of trees in the background. Of the four the Art Institute’s version is closest in size to the Hermitage canvas, while the three other poppy field compositions are all slightly longer. 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).
Among the field groups, Prairie à Giverny is compositionally similar to three other canvases, Effect of Spring at Giverny (1890; sold Sotheby’s, New York, May 5, 2010, lot. 34 [W1245]), Meadow with Cloudy Skies (1890; private collection [W1246]) and Flowered Meadow at Giverny (1891; private collection [W1248]). Champ d’avoine (Oat Field) is compositionally similar to four other canvases, Oat and Poppy Field (1890; private collection [W1256]), Oat and Poppy Field (1890; private collection [W1257]), Oat and Poppy Field (1890; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg [W1258]), and Oat Field (1890; sold Christie’s, London, Dec. 8, 1998, lot. 12 [W1260]). 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 Tucker suggests that Monet’s growing focus on rural subjects at this time was in part influenced by his age; Monet was growing older and “probably felt the urge to stay closer to home.” Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 69.
See, for example, Monet to Georges de Bellio, June 20, 1876, in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 1, Peintures, 1840–1881 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1974), p. 430, letter 90. For an overview of how Monet, as well as his critics, used the term series to describe his work over the course of his career, see John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 193.
John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 193. According to House, even though Monet came to use the term series to describe a specific kind of work later in his career, “his quite casual previous uses of it, and its common usage by critics and other artist, show that his use of the term in itself has no great significance in the genesis of his serial procedure.”
See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 41.
John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), pp. 197–98.
See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 74–75. The delay in finishing some of these canvases may have been exacerbated by poor weather in September and by Monet’s purchase on November 17, 1890—with the help of an advance from his dealer Durand-Ruel—of the Giverny home and property, which he had rented since 1883. He paid 22,000 francs, in installments. See Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), pp. 219–20. According to Daniel Wildenstein, Poppies (1890/91; private collection [W1254]) is unsigned and undated. In the group of canvases depicting hay in the meadows around Giverny, Prairie à Giverny, Effect of Spring at Giverny (1890; sold Sotheby’s, New York, May 5, 2010, lot. 34 [W1245]) and Meadow with Cloudy Skies (1890; private collection [W1246]) are dated 1890, and Flowered Meadow at Giverny (private collection [W1248]) is dated 1891. See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 478. Flowered Meadow at Giverny, like the Art Institute’s Poppy Field, was likely started in the summer of 1890 and set aside to be completed later. 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 works shown alongside the Stacks of Wheat canvases in the May 1891 exhibition included Field of Poppies, Prairie à Giverny, Meadow with Cloudy Skies (1890; private collection [W1246]), and Champ d’avoine (Oat Field). On the canvases that make up the Stacks of Wheat series, see Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 77; and John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), pp. 199–201. For more on the Stacks of Wheat series in the Art Institute collection, see cats. 27–33. 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 Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 273, n. 11. Essarts is a generic term that refers to a cleared field, usually one used for agricultural purposes; several towns and sites in France bear this name. Monet’s stacks of wheat were painted at Clos Morin, the field lying immediately west of Monet’s house. See John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 197.
Poppies could be considered more of a scourge than a blessing for farmers; in grain fields they reduced the yield of the harvest and the purity of the crop. Richard Brettell suggests that “Monet saw the agricultural landscape . . . with the eyes of an urbanite for whom even agricultural nature was a garden.” See Richard R. Brettell, “The Fields of France,” in A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape, ed. Andrea P. A. Belloli, exh. cat. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), p. 260.
See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 273, n. 11. Vernon is still the train station for Giverny, located about two kilometers from Monet’s home.
Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution des cathedrals,” La justice, May 20, 1895, p. 1, translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 176. Paul Tucker notes that Clemenceau’s description of Monet’s working method is somewhat of an exaggeration, since the palettes in at least three of the poppy field canvases are not particularly different; see Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 273, n. 12.
“Les quatre chevalets des bords de l’Epte, devant les coquelicots bordés de peupliers, avaient marqué l’entrée en ligne de la lumière surprise en course selon l’heure du jour.” Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution de cathédrales,” L’art vivant, Nov. 1, 1928, p. 826.
Paul Tucker mentions that there is no evidence to support the claim that Monet used more than one easel at this time. See Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), p. 273, n. 12. For Jacques Hoschedé, see John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p 198. House mentions that Monet was known later to have more than one easel set up at one time when working around his lily pond.
“Quelle révolution individuelle nous est soudain demandée, quand Monet, avec ses quatre toiles en pleine lumière, pour suivre la marche du soleil, nous apporte le pire des scandales, celui de la vérité!” See Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution de cathédrales,” L’art vivant, Nov. 1, 1928, p. 826.
According to John House, Monet likely reused canvases for budgetary reasons when he was strapped for money, mostly prior to 1880 (see, e.g., Exterior View of Saint-Lazare Station, 1877; private collection [W447]), and that the “few traced examples of reused canvases after 1880 were all executed on Monet’s travels, when he would have been more reluctant to scrap abortive starts for fear of being unable to obtain fresh materials,” even though he may have been able to afford to discard canvases. See John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 183. The Art Institute painting, however, is an example of a post-1880 canvas that was not reused during an away-from-home campaign, but was rather reused several years later while the artist was working near his home. 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 identification of the previous composition as one that was likely begun during one of Monet’s campaigns at Étretat is thanks to the collaborative efforts of Kimberley Muir, Assistant Research Conservator in the Department of Conservation, and Jill Shaw, formerly Research Associate in the Department of Medieval to Modern European Painting and Sculpture, Art Institute of Chicago. See also 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).
“So many things are necessary in order to find again one’s effects with the seas low or high, calm or agitated, I think that I have not had so much difficulty or weather so variable.” Monet to Alice Hoschedé, Nov. 25, 1885, translated in Steven Z. Levine, Monet, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 50; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 2, Peintures, 1882–1886 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 268, letter 629.
For more on the Vieille & Troigros canvas stamp and the conservation history of this painting, see Technical Report.
See Stéphanie Constantin, “The Barbizon Painters: A Guide to Their Suppliers,” Studies in Conservation 46, 1 (2001), p. 53. I am grateful to Kimberley Muir, Assistant Research Conservator in the Department of Conservation, for bringing this article to my attention.
See Technical Report, and 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), who say that “a strong correlation was found between the underlying composition and views of the cliffs at Étretat in Normandy, a motif that Monet painted many times from different perspectives, including several works with a similar viewpoint of the Pont d’Aval and Needle Rock painted in 1883 and again in 1885.”
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).
However, packing his still-wet paintings into a case would have been less necessary when working so close to home. Later accounts of Monet’s working habits include various assistants who carried canvases or fetched supplies. Maurice Guillemot recalled a “local man, a gardener’s helper, who accompanies him [Monet], unties the packages—as they call the stretched canvases joined in pairs and numbered—and the artist sets to work.” See Maurice Guillemot, “Claude Monet,” La revue illustrée, Mar. 15, 1898, n. pag., translated in in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hough Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 195. His stepdaughter Blanche Hoschedé was also mentioned. When working on his Stacks of Wheat series, Monet used a wheelbarrow “pushed by a willing helper, generally Blanche Hoschedé,” piled up with “as many canvases as there were impressions to record.” See Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 274. According to one account, Monet was caught out in one of his fields without enough canvases, and he had Blanche run back to the house several times for more. See Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 38, quoting Duc de Trévise, “Le pèlerinage de Giverny,” Revue de l’art ancient et moderne (Jan.–Feb. 1927), p. 126.
For a discussion of Seurat’s Field of Alfalfa, Saint-Denis (1884/85) in relation to field pictures by Monet and other Impressionists, see Robert Herbert, “Before La Grande Jatte,” in Robert L. Herbert, et al., Seurat and the Making of “La Grande Jatte,” exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/University of California Press, 2004), pp. 57–67.
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 was the beginning of a revolution, a new way of seeing, of feeling, of expressing. That poppy field, bordered by its three elms, marked an era in perception as well as in the expression of things.” See Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution des cathedrals,” La justice, May 20, 1895, p. 1; translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), pp. 176–77.
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 (natrual 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 includes cadmium yellow, vermilion, emerald green, viridian, cobalt blue, and lead white. Other pigments may also be present. See Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Poppy_22_4465_XRF_Results,” Dec. 9, 2010; and Inge Fiedler, “1922_4465_Monet_PLM_results,” Dec. 4, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Flax was confirmed by microscopic cross-sectional fiber identification. See Inge Fiedler, “1922_4465_Monet_analytical_report,” Dec. 16, 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, exh. cat. (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.
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, Poppy Field (Giverny) (W1253/1922.4465),” Oct. 2011
The canvas does, however, present a thread-count match with Étretat: The Beach and the Falaise d’Amont (1885; 1964.204 [W1012]) (cat. 21), The Departure of the Boats, Étretat (1885; 1922.428 [W1025]) (cat. 23), and Rocks at Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île (1886; 1964.210 [W1095]) (cat. 24), three paintings that have a warp-thread match (see Don H. Johnson, “Weave Match Report: Claude Monet W1012, W1025, W1095,” Apr. 2011). This is important to keep in mind, given that these three works have a Vieille & Troisgros canvas stamp dating from the period 1879–83, and that Poppy Field has the same canvas stamp (see Manufacturers/Suppliers Marks) and appears to have an earlier, unrelated painting underneath the final composition (see Application/technique and artist’s revisions). 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). For dating of Vieille & Troisgros canvas stamp, see Stéphanie Constantin, “The Barbizon Painters: A Guide to Their Suppliers,” Studies in Conservation 46, 1 (2001), pp. 53–54, 63. 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).
Two marks, possibly executed in pencil, were observed on the right and bottom tacking edges; it is not known when or why they were applied.
The 1963 treatment report states that “the new stretcher was made a bit larger than the painting so that all parts of the painting would be exposed.” See Alfred Jakstas, treatment report, Aug. 22, 1963, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago. This perhaps provides the rationale for the treatment of other Monet paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago in this era, which were restretched after lining onto ICA spring stretchers that were slightly larger than the original stretcher dimensions.
See Alfred Jakstas, examination report, Aug. 12, 1963, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
The back of the original canvas is now obscured by the lining canvas. Only a trace of the stamp was discernible in the transmitted-infrared image.
The stamp is undoubtedly that of the color merchant Vieille & Troisgros, located at 35 rue de Laval. Vieille & Troisgros was in operation from 1879 to 1883, according to Stéphanie Constantin, “The Barbizon Painters: A Guide to Their Suppliers,” Studies in Conservation 46, 1 (2001), pp. 53–54, 63. The presence of this stamp on a work painted in 1890–91 suggests that the stretched canvas was sitting around for a significant period of time, either in the supplier’s shop or in Monet’s studio. The presence of another composition underneath the final painting may indicate that Monet had purchased and started painting on the canvas at an earlier date (see Application/technique and artist’s revisions).
The presence of a sizing layer is difficult to determine from cross sections due to previous conservation treatments, including wax-resin lining.
Microfossils were identified by PLM and SEM/EDX. See Inge Fiedler, “1922_4465_Monet_analytical_report,” Dec. 16, 2013.
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. Fine black particles were observed microscopically in the cross sections. The ground composition was analyzed using SEM/EDX and XRF. For more detailed results and conditions used, see Inge Fiedler, “1922_4465_Monet_analytical_report,” Dec. 16, 2013; and Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Poppy_22_4465_XRF_Results,” Dec. 9, 2010, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
Some of the forms seem very specific, particularly the two thin verticals with slanted tops just to the right of the tallest tree from the final composition.
This hypothesis has not been tested scientifically.The paint passages in question often exhibit tiny bubble holes at the surface. This can be caused by a number of different factors. The mixing required to incorporate solvent or medium into the paint or even the vigorous working of the fluid paint on the canvas are two possible explanations.
Similar plant matter was found in Monet’s Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) (1890/91; 1922.431 [W1278]) (cat. 29) and The Customs House at Varengeville (1897; 1933.1149 [W1455]) (cat. 35), also usually near the edge of the painting. This observation suggests that the material may have become adhered to the wet paint when the painting was momentarily rested on the ground. 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 pigments were identified by the following methods: lead white, cadmium yellow, vermilion, cobalt blue, emerald green, and viridian (PLM, XRF); chrome yellow, red lake, ultramarine blue (PLM). PLM analysis highlighted the presence of pale-red and deeper-red particles of red lake, suggesting that two different types may be present. 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_4465_Monet_analytical_report,” Dec. 16, 2013; Inge Fiedler, “1922_4465_Monet_PLM_results,” Dec. 4, 2013; and Kimberley Muir, “Mon_Poppy_22_4465_XRF_Results,” Dec. 9, 2010, 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, exh. cat. (National Gallery, London/Yale University Press, 1990), pp. 72–75.
See Alfred Jakstas, examination report, Aug. 12, 1963, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
See Alfred Jakstas, treatment record, Aug. 22, 1963, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
See Frank Zuccari, treatment report, Sept. 22, 1997, 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. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478. According to the Frick Collection’s online “Archives Directory forthe History of Collecting in America,” Hamman was the director of Roland Knoedler’s gallery in Paris.
According to the Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1894–1905 (no. 1015, as Coquelicots): “Purchased from Potter Palmer by DR New York on 24 January 1893 for 5 000 F; Stock DR New York no. 1015 as Coquelicots; photo no. A 209,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, deposit book for 1888–93 (no. 5041, as Champ de coquelicots): “Deposited at DR New York by Potter Palmer at an unknown date between 1888 and 1893; Deposit no. 5041,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1894–1905 (no. 1015 as Coquelicots): “Purchased from Potter Palmer by DR New York on 24 January 1893 for 5 000 F; Stock DR New York no. 1015 as Coquelicots; photo no. A 209,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1894–1905 (no. 1015 as Coquelicots): “Sold to W.W. Kimball on 16 April 1901 for $ 3 200,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
This painting was on loan from Mrs. W. W. (Evaline M. Cone) Kimball to the Art Institute of Chicago, intermittently, by 1920, according to Art Institute of Chicago, Handbook of Sculpture, Architecture, Paintings, and Drawings: Part II, Paintings and Drawings (Art Institute of Chicago, 1920), p. 60, cat. 762.
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. There is an annotated copy of the exhibition catalogue in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Library, Rare Books Collection, which includes the Durand-Ruel, New York stock number (no. 1015) and a price code, “osss.”
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478. The Durand-Ruel Archives could not verify that the Art Institute’s painting was included in this exhibition. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 1018, either Poppy Field at Giverny (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston [W1252]), or the Art Institute’s painting (W1253) was included in the exhibition as Red Poppies (cat. 156). The Durand-Ruel Archives could not verify that the Art Institute’s painting was included in this exhibition. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Durand-Ruel, New York, purchased the Art Institute’s painting from Potter Palmer, Chicago, in 1893 and exhibited it in New York in 1895 as Coquelicots, see Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, Exposition of Forty Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. (Durand-Ruel, 1895), cat. 3. Durand-Ruel owned the picture until 1901. This exhibition was not included in the most recent catalogue raisonné; Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
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; 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.
There was no catalogue produced for the exhibition, but an exhibition checklist, sent by Penelope M. Smith, registrar at the Joslyn Art Museum, includes Poppy Field (Giverny). See Penelope M. Smith to the Art Institute of Chicago, Aug. 21, 1998, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. For the exhibition dates, see Joslyn Art Museum, “Joslyn Art Museum Presents ‘On View to the World: Painting at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition,’” news release, Apr. 30, 1998.
The publication accompanying the exhibition is Christian von Holst and Christofer Conrad, with contributions by Roman Zieglgänsberger and Katja Matauschek, Claude Monet: Fields in Spring, exh. cat. (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Hatje Cantz, 2006).
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 477, cat. 1253 (ill.); 478. The Durand-Ruel Archives could not verify that the Art Institute’s painting was included in this exhibition. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 132; 133, cat. 1253 (ill.). For an English translation, see Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), pp. 175–80.
Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 132; 133, cat. 1253 (ill.).
Confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 1018, either Poppy Field at Giverny (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston [W1252]), or the Art Institute’s painting (W1253) was included in the exhibition as Red Poppies (cat. 156). The Durand-Ruel Archives could not verify that the Art Institute’s painting was included in this exhibition. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Durand-Ruel, New York, purchased the Art Institute’s painting from Potter Palmer, Chicago, in 1893 and exhibited it in New York in 1895 as Coquelicots, see Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, Exposition of Forty Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. (Durand-Ruel, 1895), cat. 3. Durand-Ruel owned the picture until 1901. This exhibition was not included in the most recent catalogue raisonné; Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
According to Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), p. 132; 133, cat. 1253 (ill.). According to John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), this publication contains a reprint of Georges Clemenceau, “Révolution de cathédrales,” La justice, May 20, 1895, p. 1.
This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Claude Monet: Effet de soleil—Felder im Frühling, held at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgard, May 20–Sept. 24, 2006.
This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Claude Monet: Effet de soleil—Felder im Frühling, held at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgard, May 20–Sept. 24, 2006.
This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Claude Monet: Effet de soleil—Felder im Frühling, held at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgard, May 20–Sept. 24, 2006.
The latter was republished as 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; repr. 2013), pp. 22 (ill.); 170 (detail); 171, cat. 87 (ill.).
See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
The label appears to have been applied on top of another Art Institute label with similar content, except that the credit line of the earlier label reads “Kimball Collection.”
The stamp is undoubtedly that of the firm Vieille & Troisgros, located at 35 rue de Laval, Paris. Vieille & Troisgros was in operation from 1879 to 1883, according to Stéphanie Constantin, “The Barbizon Painters: A Guide to Their Suppliers,” Studies in Conservation 46, 1 (2001), pp. 53–54, 63.
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,” Proc. IEEE 13th DSP/5th IEEE SPE 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. 26 Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890–91,” 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/10.53269/9780865592698/22.

Download printable PDF

About

works of art

Appendix