# Can anyone identify this image? (probably an impressionist painting) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301 "2012-07-05T13:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/1 "2012-07-05T13:11:31Z")
Image [here](http://zyada.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/973/17989), I promise it’s SFW. This is one of the designs on some store brand paper cups. I swear I’ve seen this painting before, and it’s driving me nuts that I can’t identify it. I’d guess it’s a Monet from the style. I feel like the title is something about an avenue and cypresses, but googling those doesn’t give me the name. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/2 "2012-07-05T19:51:34Z")
TinEye returns no hits at all. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/3 "2012-07-05T20:47:13Z")
I believe that is a painting by Winston Churchill. Looks a lot like one of his landscapes, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/4 "2012-07-05T20:54:42Z")
It stumped Google Goggles. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/5 "2012-07-05T21:59:39Z")
Monet painted an entire series of a row of trees much like this–even made a deal with the landowner to keep them up when he wanted to sell them for the wood. I’ve seen several painted at different times of day, but never from this angle. I suspect a fan has painted a pastiche. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/6 "2012-07-05T22:05:28Z")
Here are the ones I was thinking of: [Startpage - Private Search Engine. No Tracking. No Search History.](https://ixquick.com/do/search)? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/7 "2012-07-05T22:09:15Z")
Your link only pulls up the search engine, not the results? 😕 ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/8 "2012-07-05T22:21:02Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Your link only pulls up the search engine, not the results? 😕 ☹ That was addressed to Sam A. Robrin… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/9 "2012-07-06T05:05:40Z")
Well, type “monet poplars” into it, and you can see what I saw. (Ferschlugginer @#% razzen bazzen dazzen frazzen computers…!) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/10 "2012-07-06T05:30:57Z")
I agree that it’s at least Monet-inspired. Not sure why the OP would think it’s a copy of an actual Monet painting. It looks too blurry and colorless for that, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/11 "2012-07-06T12:44:55Z")
Also looks more like a watercolor than oils, though it’s hard to tell in a reproduction. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/12 "2012-07-06T13:41:17Z")
At first I thought they were [poplars](https://www.google.com/search?q=poplars+monet&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=M2T&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=m-H2T-OaNKTW2gXZxNDkBg&ved=0CFYQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=867), but the trees are [Italian cypress](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=h5T&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=867&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=tuscany+cypress+impressionist&oq=tuscany+cypress+impressionist&gs_l=img.3...41613.43837.0.44228.8.8.0.0.0.0.243.1098.1j6j1.8.0...0.0.9K7VCDhSTx0) I think it’s a Monet, because the brushwork looks more like his than the other major impressionists that I can spot. As for color and “blurriness”, remember that this is a scan, from a poor-quality print on a cup that’s been waxed. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the source image for printing was scanned from a book. One more data point. I think this is a real painting because it looks familiar. That could mean that I saw it in an exhibition, but I also have been getting catalogs from Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nearly thirty years. I’ve checked the stores online for this, but haven’t found it. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/13 "2012-07-06T15:22:56Z")
Zyada, if it’s any consolation, I swear I’ve seen it before too and I want to say “Monet” as well but I can’t find it. I’ll keep looking though. It’ll give me something to do. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/14 "2012-07-06T22:29:22Z")
In my extensive experience attending New York museums, when you run across a painting that’s not quite up to standard for Monet, it’s by Alfred Sisley. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/15 "2012-07-06T22:31:39Z")
I think it’s more recent than Impressionism, judging by the ‘ink pen blob’ effect in upper right. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/16 "2012-07-06T22:37:28Z")
That’s looking pretty promising, Sam. Mr. Sisley seems to be fond of the “Trees lining a road fading into the distance” genre. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-image-probably-an-impressionist-painting/627301/17 "2012-07-06T22:52:06Z")
Those trees had been planted by Napoleon I. In between the various wars he needed something for his army to do to keep it intact, so the undertook public works projects such as road building, including windbreaks.