2-999-543 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Windmills Near Zaandam, 1871. Following his exile in England during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Monet stopped in Zaandam, a picturesque town near Amsterdam, from May through October of 1871. During his stay, he painted about 20 small views of the town and its environs. In this example, a lone girl walks along the footpath between Oostzaan and Zaandam. By limiting the range of colours, Monet conveys the atmosphere of an overcast day. Similar muted colours were found in the works of the contemporary Netherlandish landscape painters known as The Hague school.