Haystacks in Normandy, c. 1894

Born in Northern Moravia and raised in Vienna, Eugen Jettel (1845–1901) spent 24 years of his productive period in France, traveling mainly to Normandy and Holland during this time. In his 1894 painting Haystacks in Normandy, which he signed using the French version of his name Eugène Jettel, the artist guides the eyes of the beholder past large haystacks via a country lane into the depth of the depiction, where we see the outlines of a farmer with a cart and animals. The tranquil scene under a cloudless, light blue sky is shrouded in a light summer mist. The motif of haystacks recalls the works of Claude Monet (1840–1926). While Monet focused on changing lighting conditions and surroundings in his haystack series, Jettel remained faithful to the atmospheric landscapes that earned him international renown.

AGW, 2021