First published 2017 The Cliff, Étretat, Sunset, was painted in the early months of 1883, a time Monet would always remember with unease. The painting looks out to sea at the Porte d'Aval arch overlapping Aiguille, a tall rock spire. Next to them the dark orange sun like a burning coal,
Tag: Etretat
The torment of Baron Frefosse of Étretat – a Normandy legend
As well as a stiff breeze, the strongest sense of déjà vu will hit any fan of the Impressionists lucky enough to walk along Étretat's grassy cliff tops. Claude Monet’s paintings and drawings of the three natural arches Porte d'Aval, Porte d'Amont (Maupassant’s ‘elephant’s trunk’) and La Manneporte have been reproduced and loved across the
The perils of pretty English girls, for a Frenchman in Étretat
We are delighted to introduce as our guest blogger this week Guy de Maupassant! Here he interviews old friend Henri Sidoine on the Havre-Trouville ferry. Henri has a terrible warning for his fellow Frenchman. Over to Guy... "Discovery" By Guy de Maupassant The steamer was crowded with people and the crossing promised to
What to do with just one day in Normandy; the culture vulture
All culture vultures know Normandy has been a source of inspiration for many of the world’s greatest painters and writers. It is impossible in just one day to see every creative wonder Normandy has to offer, but we can share a plausible plan. Follow the footsteps of artistic heroes For the first part
The curious incident of the poet in the sea, at Étretat
A vintage postcard led us to a story about English eccentrics and French unflappability, at Étretat. A less daffodilly direction Algernon Charles Swinburne was a poet and quite possibly for his time, a genius. To the delight of biographers he was also a little unusual. Algernon was born in 1837 to a time that