In Autumn 1886 Claude Monet sought out rugged and barren terrain on the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer off the coast of Brittany. Centering his activity in the village of Kervilahouen on the Atlantic side of the island, he wrote to fellow Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte, "I've been here a month, and I’m grinding away; I'm in a magnificent region of wilderness, a tremendous heap of rocks and sea unbelievable for its colors; well, I'm very enthusiastic." Still, Monet confessed to having trouble painting the wild ocean because he was used to painting the calmer channel waters.
1886年秋天，克劳德-莫奈（Claude Monet）在布列塔尼海岸外的贝勒岛寻找崎岖贫瘠的地形。他把自己的活动集中在该岛大西洋一侧的克维拉霍恩村，他写信给印象派同僚古斯塔夫-凯尔博特（Gustave Caillebotte），“我在这里已经一个月了，每天努力工作；我在一片壮丽的荒野之中，有一堆巨大的岩石，还有颜色令人难以置信的大海；嗯，我充满了热情。”尽管如此，莫奈也承认画波涛汹涌的海时遇到了困难，因为他习惯画平静的海峡水域。
In Rocks at Belle-Île, Port-Domois, Monet depicted the grim sea beating away at the barren rocks, a theme he repeated and varied numerous times. He was sensitive to the topography of his surroundings and the need to alter his manner of looking accordingly. He wrote to his companion Alice Hoschedé, "I must make great efforts to make them [the rocks] somber, to render this sinister, tragic aspect." He added that he felt "powerless to render the intensity" of the ocean crashing upon the rocky sentinels of the island. Yet he also recognized that he placed great demands on himself: "I’m chasing the merest sliver of color. It’s my own fault, I want to grasp the intangible." The colors, forms, and atmosphere of this magnificent painting reveal that Monet was concerned as much with conveying turbulent emotion as with recording the appearance of a particular site.
在《贝勒岛的岩石，多莫瓦港》（Rocks at Belle-Île, Port-Domois）中，莫奈描绘了无情的大海拍打着贫瘠的岩石，这是他多次重复和改变的主题。他对周围的地形很敏感，需要相应地改变自己的观察方式。他写信给同伴爱丽丝-霍希德（Alice Hoschedé）说，“我必须尽最大努力，使它们[岩石]变得阴沉，以表现出它们可怖，悲惨的一面。”他补充说，他感到“无力描绘出那种强烈感”——海水冲击碾压岛上像哨兵一样的岩石。然而他也意识到，他对自己提出了极高的要求：“我在追逐最微不足道的颜色。这是我自己的错，我想抓住无形的东西。”这幅宏伟画作的色彩、形式和氛围表明，莫奈在记录一个特定地点的外观时，同样关注于传达动荡的情感。
We present today's painting thanks to the Cincinnati Art Museum. :)
感谢辛辛那提艺术博物馆与我们分享今天的画作。:)
