the painting that gives rise to the artistic current of impressionism

To access the exhibition, the approval of this jury had to be passed, which had in its task, to allow access to works worthy of tradition and morality. The judgment was severe and many works were rejected. About 30 artists in search of visibility participated in the exhibition, breaking with the academic tradition.

Monet's painting made in the port of Le Havre did not have a name and to a specific question he replied: put the title impression. The exhibition, which he intended to compete with the more famous one in the Louvre, went badly. It took place in Nadar's studio at 35 Boulevard des Capucines. An article entitled: exhibition of the impressionists taking up the name that Monet had given to his painting. That term was also taken up by other critics and established itself to indicate the new nascent movement of the Impressionists

The work was done in plein air. Leaving the studies, living the daily life, meant for the Impressionists, breaking with the academic tradition. The port is resumed at dawn. The landscape is enveloped in a haze also generated by the fumes coming from the chimneys of the port. The painting lacks details but it is interesting how the light is captured at that particular moment of the day

The three visible boats, arranged diagonally, become more and more evanescent with distance. We can only rely on intuition about the real composition of the port. The haze does not allow to distinguish objects. In those clear vertical and horizontal lines we can hypothesize the reference to masts of large boats or mechanical means such as cranes. The ripples of the sea are evident thanks to the sun's rays that create a clearly visible trail. The contrast of the two dominant colors is clear, the orange of the Sun contrasts with the predominant blue in the canvas