The Ascension of Sainte-Adresse: A Stairway to the Ethereal

Claude Monet’s  Cliff at Sainte-Adresse originally captured the dramatic coastal cliffs of Normandy in the late 1860s, where he skillfully depicted light dancing on the sea and the jagged landscape. However, in this surreal reinterpretation, the scene transcends its earthly roots, becoming an otherworldly vision of ascension, time, and destiny. The realism of Monet’s impressionist brushstrokes now merges with an ethereal dreamscape, where a stone staircase rises through mist and ruins, leading to an illuminated tower spiraling into the heavens. 

At the base of the composition, the steps appear eroded, ancient, as if formed by time itself rather than human hands. They ascend unevenly, crumbling into shadows, suggesting that this is no ordinary stairway—each step is a passage between worlds, a metaphor for the unseen journey of the soul. As they lead upward, they blend into Monet’s original depiction of the coastline, but here, the sea is transformed. No longer simply a horizon, it becomes a fluid mirror of memory and possibility, where reflections of past civilizations shimmer beneath the surface. 

Beyond the cliffs, clouds swirl with movement, as if pulled by an unseen force. The sky itself is restless, infused with golden light and deep stormy hues, symbolizing both divine illumination and the tempest of human struggle. The lighthouse at the summit of the spiraling structure does not simply guide sailors—it serves as a beacon for the spirit, a celestial destination that transcends earthly existence. 

The use of color in this surreal vision is deeply symbolic. Monet’s warm golden ochres and muted blues remain, grounding the piece in its original landscape, yet the colors take on new meaning. The ochres of the cliffs are no longer just sunlit earth—they represent endurance, wisdom, and the passage of time. The swirling blues and grays in the clouds speak of mystery and transition, a visual echo of life’s uncertainties. The tower itself, bathed in ethereal light, suggests enlightenment, a pursuit of knowledge beyond the physical. 

As an artist, my intention was to take Monet’s fleeting impression of a moment and extend it into infinity. Monet painted Sainte-Adresse as a place bound by time—a real location, alive with movement and weather. But what if a landscape could embody something more? What if a place could exist outside of time, beyond mere memory? The stairway in this piece represents that existential question. Where does it lead? Does it reach an ending, or does it extend forever? 

The ruins at the base of the composition suggest a forgotten civilization, a reminder that all things eventually fade, just as Monet’s cliffs were shaped by wind and waves. Yet the lighthouse, ever-burning, speaks of continuity, of hope beyond ruin. This piece, then, is about the contrast between impermanence and eternity, between the physical and the transcendent. It is a meditation on journeying forward—whether through history, personal growth, or spiritual enlightenment. 

In  The Ascension of Sainte-Adresse , I aimed to preserve the soul of Monet’s work while reimagining its meaning. The viewer is invited to walk the steps, to lose themselves in the sky, to question where they are going, and what waits at the summit. It is a journey of interpretation as much as it is a journey of the image itself.