Road toward the Farm Saint-Siméon, Honfleur

Monet painted at least ten views of this road between 1864 and 1867, in what some scholars consider to be his first serial investigation of a subject. Since the early nineteenth century, landscape artists had flocked to Honfleur, in Normandy, and the inn at Saint-Siméon became an informal artists’ colony, which was made more accessible with the arrival of the railroad in 1862. Unlike his contemporaries, Monet did not paint any of the area’s recognizable landmarks or distinguishing features, but focused on the prosaic road beside the farm. His captivating depiction of snow, distinct from the white clouds above, was the product of careful studies made outdoors. As one critic observed: “We glimpsed a little heater, then an easel, then a gentleman swathed in three overcoats, with gloved hands, his face half-frozen. It was M. Monet, studying an aspect of the snow.”