Normandy invasion
AS paintings languish behind closed doors in museums and galleries, and exhibitions are curtailed or postponed, there has never been a better time to explore permanent collections online.
For the past two years, the National Gallery has been adding masses of information and new images of paintings to its website, offering everyone the chance to investigate both famous and lesser-known pictures, to delve into hidden stories and discover a few surprises.
The description, for example, reveals a tantalising link with his master Eugène Boudin, who first encouraged him to paint in the open air. This much-loved picture shows the artist’s wife enjoying a breezy afternoon on the beach at Trouville, but could Madame Monet’s mysterious companion in black be Boudin’s wife? We simply don’t know, but the two artists were painting alongside each other in the summer of 1870, when Monet went to the beach to begin work on his picture.
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