In this Monet painting, the sun is placed against the dawn sky, with orange and blue-violet contrast. Because it was a very misty morning on the harbor, the clouds are colored by the rising sun, in the dense mist, and the boats take shape, without great definition. The abbreviated, darker brushstrokes in the water, create motion, and ripples, while hints of orange and yellow appear as a reflection of the sunrise in the harbor water. The ships’ masts are sometimes disrupted by the rippling water, as the silhouettes of the boats seem to be disappearing into the mist.
An interesting observation about this painting is that although the sun seems to be much brighter than the rest of the scene, if viewed removing all color, the sun almost disappears. This supports Monet’s mastery of depicting light effects on scenes which he painted. This accurate reproduction of Monet’s impression, and resulting mood of atmospheric conditions dominate, and limit the importance of great detail. The viewer almost feels that he is looking out the same window that Monet did that Spring morning. Once called an abstract piece of unfinished work by critics, over one-hundred years later, Monet’s work Impression, Sunrise is part of a historic art movement, and Monet helped to make a name for the Impressionistic artists as well.