Focus on this artwork and discuss the Rejection by the Salon.
Monet submitted The Magpie and Fishing Boats at Sea (W 126) to the Salon of 1869. Both paintings were rejected in April. Critic Paul Richard said that the jurors rejected the painting as "too common and too coarse". Monet's experimental use of color and radical departure from the descriptive, academic style surprised the public and probably contributed to its dismissal by the jury. Monet told French novelist Arsène Houssaye (1815–1896), "This rejection has taken the bread from my mouth, and in spite of my low prices, collectors and dealers turn their backs on me." A century later, The Magpie was acquired by the Musée d'Orsay in 1984. It became one of the most popular paintings in their permanent collection.
Salon W Arsène Houssaye Musée d'Orsay Magpie