Grainstack (Sunset: winter)
- Artist: Claude Monet
- Date: 1890-1
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Grainstack (Sunset: winter)" by Claude Monet. Painted in 1890 and 1891, it's one of a group of twenty-five compositions depicting grainstacks that Monet created during this time. What's unique about these paintings is that they were conceived as a decorative ensemble rather than individual pictures.
You see the monumental grain stack dominating the left side of the canvas, bathed by the warm light of the setting sun. The soft hills and scattered houses in the distance create a sense of depth and perspective. Monet found this motif in a field near his studio in Giverny and repeated it throughout the seasons, experimenting with different viewpoints and light conditions.
Notice the beautiful array of colors – hot oranges, pinks, purples, and light blues – that capture the atmospheric effects surrounding the objects. Monet was fascinated by capturing the ephemeral instant of a moment, which is exactly what we see here. The grain stacks were a symbol of prosperity and fertility in late 19th century France, and Monet's series was met with unanimous acclaim when it was first exhibited in Paris in May 1891.
See it in person
Grainstack (Sunset: winter) hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
