Rue Montorgueil in Paris, Celebration of 30 June 1878

Flags were flown on 30 June, 1878, to mark the opening of the Great Exhibition. On that day, a sea of flags was fluttering in the wind, and countless people filled the streets. Monet chose a high vantage point in order to emphasize the huge gathering of people. Viewed at close quarters, the milling throng gives the illusion of an ethereal carpet of colour. It is not until one is at a certain distance from the painting that the concrete aspect of the picture comes into focus, and the people on the streets become recognizable as well as the individual flags, which look as though they have been released from the fa�ades of the houses to the left and right.