Fragments of the Tide: A Collision of Light and Shadow

This surreal reinterpretation of  Beach at Pourville transforms Monet’s impressionist seascape into an abstract meditation on the power of nature, the fluidity of time, and the contrast between serenity and chaos. Monet originally captured the gentle coastline of Pourville with soft pastels and delicate brushstrokes, allowing the movement of air and water to blend seamlessly into one another. Here, that harmony is disrupted, fractured into two distinct worlds—one of tranquility, the other of violent transformation. 

The right side of the canvas retains the original peacefulness of Monet’s vision. The golden sands stretch towards the horizon, bathed in the soft glow of the sun. The cliffs, dotted with hints of warmth, overlook the gentle surf where small figures appear as distant travelers lost in the vastness of the landscape. The soft greens and blues of the water reflect a dreamlike stillness, as if the moment has been suspended in time, an eternal afternoon at the edge of the world. 

Yet, on the left, the scene is engulfed in a storm of abstraction. A massive force rises from the sea, a vortex of deep blues, blacks, and bursts of golden fire, as if the sky itself is being pulled into the abyss. The texture here is raw, thick strokes of paint creating an almost chaotic explosion of energy, countering the calm of the shoreline. The ocean is no longer a gentle tide—it becomes a cosmic force, an entity that devours and reshapes everything in its wake. 

The meaning of color in this work is deeply symbolic. The serene side of the painting is dominated by pastels, soft blues, and warm earth tones, evoking nostalgia, warmth, and a longing for permanence. The left side, in contrast, is an eruption of dark navy, gold, and black—symbols of destruction, depth, and rebirth. This interplay of colors mirrors the constant flux of life, where beauty and chaos exist simultaneously, where landscapes can shift in an instant, and where what seems eternal is always at risk of vanishing. 

As an artist, my intention in transforming  Beach at Pourville was to explore the fragility of peace and the unseen forces that shape our world. Monet painted with an obsession for light and atmosphere, but in this version, light battles darkness in a way that suggests something more than just a coastal scene—it suggests a universe in constant collision, a world where beauty exists only because it stands against the threat of disappearance. The left side, with its violent abstraction, is not destruction, but rather a reminder that all landscapes, no matter how serene, are shaped by unseen and uncontrollable forces. 

This piece challenges the viewer’s perception of stability. It asks whether we can ever truly hold onto a moment, or whether every scene we cherish is merely a fleeting illusion, a memory already in the process of dissolving. The sharp contrast between the untouched beauty of the beach and the chaotic energy on the other side suggests that nature is not only something to be admired but also something to be feared, respected, and accepted in its unpredictable nature. 

Monet’s brushstrokes always carried an urgency, a need to capture the light before it changed, the water before it moved. Here, that urgency is amplified—rather than simply capturing a scene, this work fractures it, reconstructs it, and forces it to exist in two states at once. The peaceful shore is not separate from the storm; it is the other side of it. Every calm moment contains the potential for upheaval. Every tranquil tide carries the memory of a storm.