Cleveland Museum of Art

The Red Kerchief

Claude Monet

Date

c. 1868–73

Medium

oil on fabric

Culture

France, 19th century

Department

Modern European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting depicts Monet's first wife, Camille, outside on a snowy day passing by the French doors of their home at Argenteuil. Her face is rendered in a radically bold Impressionist technique of mere daubs of paint quickly applied, just as the snow and trees are defined by broad, broken strokes of pure white and green. Madame Monet’s red cape draws the viewer’s attention beyond the glass of the French doors capturing her glance, a brief moment frozen in time. This painting was very special to Monet and he kept it with him for his entire life.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.