Antibes Seen from the Cape, Mistral Wind

Claude Monet rendered this view of Antibes during a mistral, the fierce cold wind that sweeps down the Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean. The composition shows the town from Cap d'Antibes, with wind-bent vegetation in the foreground and choppy water reflecting the agitated atmosphere.

The mistral creates distinctive conditions: clear skies, intense light, and violent gusts that can last for days. Monet struggled to work outdoors during these winds, writing that his easel kept blowing over. Several of his Antibes paintings capture this specific weather pattern, showing how he turned obstacles into subjects.

This canvas is now at the Courtauld Gallery in London. The blue and gold palette contrasts with his calmer morning scenes, demonstrating how weather transformed the same landscape into radically different paintings.