Rocks at Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île

1886

Belle-Île, a small island off the southern shore of Brittany, was known for its dramatic cliffs, rock formations, and grottoes. As he often did, Monet misjudged the time he would need to explore and capture the beauty of the place, which he variously called “lugubrious,” “terrifying,” and “very beautiful.” He came for two weeks and stayed for more than two months.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926)

Date

1886

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

66 × 81.8 cm (26 × 32 3/16 in.); Framed: 83.9 × 100.4 × 9.9 cm (33 × 39 1/2 × 3 7/8 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland