The Magnificent Monet

In his country house, Monet quickly discovers the pleasure of painting outdoors. One day a storm blows his easel, paint, brushes and canvas all the way to the coast. A crazy pursuit ends in a dip in the sea, where the painter retrieves his beloved things. After taking a nap on top of the canvas, he washes ashore at Étretat, where he becomes fascinated by the delightful views of the sea and the famous rock formations. He stays for a long time in Hotel Blanquet, where he paints one picture after another.

In this first part of a forthcoming trilogy, Luc Cromheecke draws part of the life story of the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet as it has never been seen before. Without words but with plenty of humour, Cromheecke gives a unique interpretation to events. In doing so he opts for drawings that always occupy the entire strip, and as a result express the vastness and splendour of the landscapes around Giverny and Étretat beautifully. Several illustrated pages of text that tell Monet’s real-life story in the same period give context and bring this extraordinarily playful biography to a close.