Poppy Field, 1887 - by Claude Monet

Monet signed a long-term lease on a house in Giverny in 1883 and lived there until the end of his life. His house and subsequently his garden that he lovingly planned and created would eventually become his world. At first, however, Monet was greatly inspired by the vast fields of poppies and wheat that stretched across the countryside around the small village. In particular, the fields of poppies attracted the artist with their brilliant reds carpeting the landscape in o moss of shifting color.

Poppy Field is a popular subject matter among Impressionist artists. Van Gogh also created his version of Poppy Field. Monet painted poppy fields many times, and in Poppy Field, 1887, the impressionistic painting has created tremendous movement sweeping across the canvas as the poppy heads appear to sway and ripple in the breeze. He has used dabs and dots of vibrant reds, purples and blues in clear, pure form over a green base and worked across the canvas using fluid, short and textured brushstrokes. From a distance the painting appears a brilliant and real evocation of a poppy field under a bright sun, but close up the canvas dissolves into a blur of opposing colors and brushstrokes.