Artwork
Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn)
Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
Claude Monet completed this oil work in 1896, portraying a wheat field at the close of day in autumn. The canvas captures the gradual dimming of light, with a sky washed in soft pinks and yellows that melt into a distant hill. The composition is anchored by a solitary haystack, surrounded by wheat that shifts in tone from deep red to hints of green and purple.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a quiet, rural landscape where the harvested wheat lies in dense, reddish bundles, suggesting the season’s abundance and the labor of harvest. The muted, fading light conveys a sense of transition, as day yields to evening, while the distant dark silhouettes hint at trees or bushes that frame the scene, reinforcing the isolation of the field.
Technique & Style
Monet employs a pronounced impasto technique, laying on thick layers of paint that retain the texture of the brushstroke. The visible, scraped application creates a tactile surface, intensifying the contrast between the luminous sky and the richly colored wheat. This method allows the colors to vibrate against one another, giving the quiet scene a palpable sense of movement.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the work has entered the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains on display. The museum acquired the piece as part of its broader effort to represent Monet’s late-period explorations of light and atmosphere, situating it among other Impressionist holdings.
Context
Created during Monet’s later years, the painting reflects his sustained interest in agricultural subjects and the effects of seasonal light. The autumnal setting aligns with a series of works in which Monet examined the changing colors of crops, echoing his broader investigations of natural phenomena across his career.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Oscar-Claude Monet was born in Paris on November 14, 1840, and raised from the age of five in Le Havre, where he began selling charcoal caricatures as a teenager.
