Haystacks by Claude Monet

Most well-known today for his series of serene water lilies paintings, 19th-century Impressionist Claude Monet was a groundbreaking tour de force in the development of expressive art. Throughout his long life, which spanned the years between 1840 and 1926, Monet would progress from drawing amusing caricatures of friends to capturing the elusive nuances of natural scenes in various attitudes of light and color. Along with the other Impressionists, Monet’s aim in his painting was to capture reality and analyse the ever-changing nature of light and color. He recorded his surrounding faithfully, from the grime of a Paris railway station to the incandescent beauty of his later paintings based on the gardens he created at Giverny in north-eastern France. Frequently exhibited and successful during his lifetime, Monet’s fame and popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century when he became one of the world’s most famous painters and a source of inspiration for burgeoning groups of artists. By striving to translate his unique perception of the natural world directly to the canvas, Claude Monet was instrumental in forging an entirely new direction for the world of art. 

Haystaks Series

Haystacks is a title of a series of impressionist paintings by Monet. The primary subjects of all of the paintings in the series are stacks of hay in the field after the harvest season. The title refers primarily to a twenty-five canvas series begun at the end of summer of 1890 and continued through the following spring, using that year’s harvest. Some use a broader definition of the title to refer to other paintings by Monet with this same theme. The series is known for its thematic use of repetition to show differences in perception of light across various times of day, seasons, and types of weather. The subjects were painted in fields near Monet’s home in Giverny, France.

Monet settled in Giverny in 1883. Most of his paintings from 1883 until his death 40 years later were of scenes within 3 kilometers (2 mi) of his home. Indeed, the haystacks themselves were situated just outside his door. He was intensely aware of and fascinated by the visual nuances of the region’s landscape and the variation in the seasons.

On MAY 15, 2019, Monet’s “Meules”, one of acclaimed “Haystacks” series, sold at Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist & Modern Art. The auction house says it’s a world auction record for the artist and the first work of Impressionist art to cross the $100-million threshold at auction.

For about 18 months, between 1890 and 1891, Monet focused on the subject matter and created around 30 paintings. As he often found, the changing light during the day presented him with many obstacles in his landscapes, he wrote: “I am struggling with a series of different effects [haystacks]… but at this season, the sun sets so fast I can not follow it…” He admitted that he felt a great deal of work was necessary in order to succeed with the rendering he wanted. Haystacks was the first group of multiple versions of a theme that he exhibited in 1891. Fifteen depictions were shown in Paris at the Galerie Durand-Ruel. The theme was among his most celebrated. Note the delicate visualization of light in this particular piece and the fleeting effects of light and color. The haystacks are captured in winter daylight with violet and orange hues, covered in snow, with a hint of the brown of the hay underneath. It is a vibrant portrayal of a simple yet effective subject showing the artist’s brilliance for capturing light. 

This series is one of Monet’s earliest that relied on thematic repetition to illustrate nuances in perception across natural variation such as times of day, seasons, and types of weather. Under Monet’s influence, Vincent van Gogh also created his own version of Haystacks.

Stacks, End of Summer, (Meules, fin de l’été), 1891. Oil on canvas. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France. W1266

Grainstacks, in Bright Sunlight, 1890, Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, CT, W1267

Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect, 1890. Oil on canvas. Private collection. W1268.

Wheatstacks (End of Summer), 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago, W1269

Wheatstacks, 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. W1270

Haystacks, (Midday),1890–91, National Gallery of Australia, W1271

Monet – Wildenstein 1996, 1272.

Grainstacks, 1890, Hasso Plattner Collection, on permanent loan at the Museum Barberini, Potsdam (Sold for $110.7 million on Sotheby’s May 14, 2019.) W1273

Grainstack, White Frost Effect, 1890–91, Shelburne Museum, Vermont

Monet – Wildenstein 1996, 1275.

Wheatstacks, Snow Effect, Morning, 1891. Oil on canvas. J. Paul Getty Museum. W1276.

Grainstacks Snow Effect, (Meules, effet de neige), 1891. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, W1277

Wheatstacks (Sunset, Snow Effect), 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. W1278

Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun) Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art – W1279

Haystack, Morning Snow Effect (Meule, Effet de Neige, le Matin), 1891. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.W1280

Wheatstack (Snow Effect, Overcast day), 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. W1281

Haystacks at sunset, frosty weather, private collection. W1282

Wheatstack, 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. W1283

Wheatstack (Thaw, Sunset), 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. W1284

Monet grainstack 65 x 92 cm, 1891 W1285

Wheatstack (Sun in the Mist), 1891. Oil on canvas. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. W1286

Grainstack in the Sunlight, Snow Effect, 1891, Hasso Plattner Collection, on permanent loan at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam. W1287

Grainstack in Sunshine, 1891. Oil on canvas. Kunsthaus Zürich. W1288

Grainstack. (Sunset.), 1890–91. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. W1289

Grainstack in the Sunlight, 1891. Oil on canvas. Private collection. W1290

Haystack in the Evening Sun, 1891. Oil on canvas. Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation.