Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer)

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer) is a significant oil on canvas painting created by Claude Monet between 1890 and 1891. This piece belongs to the iconic Meules series, which marks a pivotal transition in the work of the leading Impressionist master. Created near Monet’s home in Giverny, France, the work focuses intensely on the abstract qualities of light and texture rather than merely documenting the rural scene of harvested crops.

Monet's systematic dedication to painting the same subject repeatedly at different times of day and in varied seasons elevated his artistic inquiry. In this particular depiction, the end of summer light casts deep, cool shadows across the towering, conical structures. The artist applied thick, deliberate layers of oil paint, using a rich palette dominated by purples, blues, and ochres to capture the transient atmosphere of the late afternoon. Monet’s technique relies heavily on the optical mixing of color, where distinct patches of pigment merge visually in the viewer’s eye, lending the stacks an almost vibrating quality against the luminous sky.

Unlike earlier Impressionist works which prioritized fleeting moments of modern life, these series paintings explore the structure of color and form, hinting at the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements emerging concurrently in France. Monet rigorously controlled the exhibition and sale of the Meules series, recognizing their revolutionary nature in establishing subjectivity and optical complexity as central tenets of modern art.

This particular canvas is a cornerstone of the Art Institute of Chicago's renowned collection of French art. As a celebrated example of late 19th-century European painting, the image is frequently studied, and high-quality prints derived from the original often circulate, contributing to its status as a widely recognized masterpiece, now frequently made available within the public domain for scholarly research and appreciation.