Early critics dismissed Claude Monet's paintings as hasty sketches. But in fact Monet set himself a goal that was remarkably difficult to achieve, and the evidence testifies that he succeeded brilliantly. Monet was devoted to the pursuit and capture of light?or rather, of its effects on sky, water, and land. Painting quickly to get the 'impression' on canvas before the sunlight?s angle shifted too much, he produced work characterized by flickering brushstrokes, indistinct forms, and a truthful record of what he had seen before him at a particular time on a certain day.
