Claude Monet - Eisschollen in Bennecourt (1893)

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Although the breaking of ice on a large river often unleashes powerful natural forces, Claude Monet depicted it as a tranquil moment in delicate shades. The reflection of the trees on the smooth surface of the Seine's water, alongside the small islands of ice floes, seems like a prelude to the water lily paintings that would come to define Monet's later work.

Monet first engaged with the motif of ice drift on the Seine during the winter of 1867/68 in Bougival. In Vétheuil, he revisited the theme in 1879/80 and worked on it in several closely related variations. A final exploration took place in early 1893 in Giverny, where he produced 13 paintings. By this time, Monet had already developed his series technique, which he had introduced with the 25 depictions of haystacks in 1890/91. The artist was no longer concerned solely with thematically connected series of works, but rather with methodically coordinated variations of a single motif. Like Monet's other series paintings from the 1890s, his depictions of ice floes were based on plein air studies of the motif. He varied not only the composition but also the time of day, thereby altering the effects of color, shadow, and light. Ten variations focus on the village of Bennecourt across from Giverny, and three others on Port-Villez – views of the river that Monet had been exploring since the early 1880s.

In the art historical tradition, the motif of ice breaking is closely associated with dramatic depictions of nature as a fearsome force and the associated feeling of the sublime. However, Monet captured the spectacle in delicate color harmonies, evoking a mood of introspection and seclusion – aspects that already point to the visual impact of his later water lily paintings. Due to the rapid advance of thawing, Monet had only a few days on-site to execute the motif. In such situations, he had to be particularly careful to capture the ephemeral impressions of nature with enough differentiation on the canvas, so that he could later conclude the series with recognizable variations in the studio. The subtle differentiation of textures and the play of the impasto relief of the ice floes against the smooth surface of the Seine show parallels to the series of Rouen Cathedral (1892–1894), which overlapped with this series for a time. Another series dedicated to the course of the river, titled "Morning on the Seine," was created by Monet in 1896/97.