Haystacks (Monet series)

The Haystacks are a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet whose primary subjects are haystacks. He completed a 25 canvas series of Haystacks (Wildenstein Index Number 1266-1290) beginning in the summer of 1890 using the 1890 grain harvest. Some of his early paintings (Wildenstein Index Number 900-995, 1073) often included little grainstacks in an ancillary manner. Monet had produced paintings (Wildenstein Index Numbers 1213-1217) with haystacks as the primary subject using the 1888 harvest. However, traditionalists only consider the 25 canvases produced of the 1890 harvest to be part of the haystacks series. Some consider the additional 5 canvases from the 1888 harvest to be a part of the series as well. However, this is not the general consensus.

Thematic Issues

Although the mundane subject was constant throughout this series, the series challenges the viewer to understand the theme of light. This concept enabled him to use repetition to show nuances of perception as seasons, time of day, and weather changed. The constant subject provided the basis from which differences in perceived light comparisons could be made across this nuanced series. They are considered his most important series. 15 of these were exhibited by Durand-Ruel in May 1891. Every haystacks painting sold within days.

He used the concept of series painting in the 1880s and 1890s. He focussed on Haystacks and a few other subjects (Poplars, Rouen Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, the Waterlilies). His main motif was the portrayal transient appearances from the same angle with light, season, time of day, and whether varying. It was in vogue to abandon the studio for the outdoors. He often worked on several canvases at once. The technique he used enabled him to capture his variations by time of day. He would awake before dawn so as to begin work on his painting set at the earliest time of day (dawn). As the morning progressed and the light changed he would switch to sequentially later canvas settings. He had to repeat this process for several days. Then as when the seasons changed he would restart anew.

Certain time of day only last for a few minutes and thus these canvases only got his attention for a few minutes a day. For example, the light at dawn and the light at the subsequent sunrise are substantially different and could require different canvases if these were two canvases he desired to create as part of a series.

The haystacks are painted with different colorings. Each coloring depicts the perceptible reflected light. At different times of day and during different seasons the haystacks absorb the light from different parts of the color spectrum. As a result, we are able to view the residual light that is reflected off of the haystacks as different colors.

Many notable painters have been influenced by this particular series including Fauves, Derain and Vlaminck. Kandinsky's memoirs refer to the series: “What suddenly became clear to me was the unsuspected power of the palette, which I had not understood before and which surpassed my wildest dreams”.

Monet painted numerous canvases of Haystacks apart from this series of 25. However, they were generally not painted using this series technique.

The Haystacks series was an immediate financial success. Most sold immediately for as much as 1,000 francs. Additionally, Monet’s prices in general began to rise steeply. As a result, he was able to buy outright the house and grounds at Giverny and to start constructing a waterlily pond.

Background

As an aside the stacks are variously referred to as haystack and grainstacks. The reason is that the Norman method of storing grain was to use hay as cover to shield the ears of the grain from the elements until they could be threshed. The threshing machines traveled from village to village. Thus, although the grain was harvested in July it often took until March for all the farms to be reached. These stacks became common in the mid 19th century. This method survived for 100 years until combine harvesters evolved. It should be noted that although shapes of stacks were regional it was common for them to be round in the Paris basin and the part of Normandy that Giverny is situated.

Monet noticed this subject on a casual walk. He requested that his stepdaughter Blanche Hoschedé bring him 2 canvases under the belief that one for overcast whether and one for sunny weather would be sufficient. However, he realized he could not be true to himself as an artist and demonstrate the several distinct impressions on a single canvas or on just two canvases. Thus, he realized he needed an array of adjacent canvases. As a result, his willing helper was quickly carting as many canvases as a wheelbarrow could hold.

Sources

Heinrich, Christoph, Claude Monet, Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 2000

Sagner, Karin, Monet at Giverny, Prestel Verlag

Wildenstein, Daniel, Monet: or the Triumph of Impressionism, 2006, Taschen GmbH

Published on the occasion of the Exhibition Monet’s Years at Giverny: Beyond Impressionism Organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with the St. Louis Art Museum, 1978, Abradale Press/Harry N. Abrams, Inc.