Series Paintings: Repetition as Exploration

The development of series paintings represents one of Monet's most significant innovations. While artists had long painted multiple views of the same subject, Monet transformed this practice into a systematic exploration of how light and atmosphere transform perception.

The Haystacks series (1890-91) established the pattern. Monet worked on multiple canvases simultaneously, moving from one to another as the light changed. Each painting captured a specific moment—morning mist, full noon sun, sunset glow, snow cover. Together, they formed a complete portrait of light's interaction with form across seasons and times of day.

The Rouen Cathedral series (1892-94) took this approach further. Working from the same window, Monet created over thirty views of the cathedral's facade. The solid stone seems to dematerialize and rematerialize with each change of light. These paintings are less about architecture than about the transformation of matter through perception.

The Poplars (1891), the Thames series (1899-1901), and the Venice paintings (1908) each explored different aspects of this central concern. Water, with its reflective properties, became an increasingly important element, allowing Monet to double and fragment his effects, creating compositions of extraordinary complexity from simple elements.