Étretat was the French coastal town whose cliffs and beach Claude Monet painted repeatedly.
Étretat lies on Normandy’s Alabaster Coast and is known for dramatic chalk cliffs, arches, and sea views. Monet visited the area in the 1880s and made numerous paintings of its changing coastal forms, including the famous natural arches and needle-like rock formations.
The location suited Monet’s method of returning to a motif under different conditions. Tides, sunlight, cloud cover, and sea spray altered the appearance of the cliffs, allowing him to make related but distinct compositions.
Étretat is sometimes confused with other Normandy subjects in Monet’s career, especially Le Havre and Honfleur. Le Havre was his childhood home and the setting connected with Impression, Sunrise, while Étretat is particularly associated with monumental coastal cliffs. The paintings helped make the site an enduring subject for modern landscape artists.