Monday 3 February 2020

Favourite Paintings: 'Road at La Cavee, Pourville' by Monet

One of my favourite paintings is by Claude Monet and, no, it's not a waterlilies painting, it's a simple landscape called 'Road at La Cavee, Pourville'. We see a dusty path between two grassy banks leading to the sea, a nice simple painting, but one that calls me in.


I saw the painting at the great 'Inventing Impressionism' exhibition at the National Gallery in 2015. It's quite a small painting (and would suit a simpler frame, really) but the vibrant greens and blues called to me across the gallery floor. As I started examining the grassy banks, seeing wild flowers dotted around, I couldn't help but meander down that earth path towards the see and started wondering what was around the corner and behind those trees. It set my imagination soaring.

Obviously, behind those trees is a pirate galleon full of cut-throats with sabres and treasure, just about to set sail away from the coast and go on adventures. If only I'd been quicker I could've joined them and sailed off to make my fortune. But I was distracted by the sun and the flowers and the field mice living on those banks.

It's a lovely little painting designed to set your imagination free. What do you think is just round the corner?

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