Claude Monet, Antibes, 1888, Oil on canvas, 25 ¾ x 36 ⅓ in. (65.5 x 92.4 cm), London, The Courtauld Gallery Collection
French Impressionist painter Claude Monet spent February through May of 1888 in Antibes, on the Mediterranean coast, where he completed ten paintings for display back in Paris. Challenged by the intensity of the Southern sun and the harsh wind, the artist arrived at an approach combining plein air (outdoor) painting with a more studied pictorial approach. The composition is asymmetrical and tightly locked, with the diagonal of the tree providing formal structure and specificity to the picture, while color is harmoniously synthesized and unified throughout the painting.