Claude Monet's Pie doesn't chatter: it's far too cold under the snow. Its little dark silhouette, a raven black, contrasts with this white paradise... White, are you sure? Come closer. Don’t you see in this shades of ivory touches of blue, purple, pink, mauve? Wrapped in several layers of clothing, the father of impressionism observes this landscape for a long time in the heart of winter before setting out: sun and shadow will define the contours of this immaculate painting... devoid of white. Come closer again. The artist here refuses pure color, preferring to mix pigments, vary hues, playing, like an open-air concerto, the reflections of sunlight on this thick white coat. This same light is pierced with ocher, while the roof of the house without doors or windows is filled with gray. In a whirlwind of light colors, Claude Monet invites us to contemplate this little bird, frozen in its tracks, among the snowy twigs. A suspended moment during which the painter reveals to us the fleeting poetry of nature, encouraging us to meditate on its slender and ephemeral beauty. Presented five years before the first impressionist exhibition, the painting unfortunately failed to convince the Salon, both annoyed by the audacity of Monet's bias and insensitive to the charm of this false shades of white.

ROGER-QUILLIOT ART MUSEUM
Until June 30, 2024
63000 Clermont-Ferrand