Claude Monet, Beyond Misconceptions

Art history has traditionally romanticised the figure and technique of the master of Impressionism.

Art history has traditionally romanticised the figure and technique of the master of Impressionism. Any reputable history of Impressionism will state that the painting Impression, Sunrise gave its name to the movement. Yet, until relatively recently, it was difficult to establish which painting had actually been exhibited under that title. One possibility was that the painting in question was another view of Le Havre, held in the Getty Museum's collection in California. As success is often accompanied by mythologisation and institutionalisation, it is useful to reconsider certain misleading ideas.