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Rightly considered that "the most beautiful cliffs of France located in the town of Etretat in Normandy. Back in 1847 his small hotels and guesthouses invited amateur swimming in the ocean, and in times of Monet Etretat frequented by writers and painters, among them Delacroix, Isabey, master Yonkind, Corot, Boudin and Matisse.

The famous French writer Guy de Maupassant in his novel "Life" both depict a place, and later displayed Monet: "The horizon of the sky and fell merged with the ocean. At the shore a large shadow fell on the foot of a steep rocky cliff, and the slopes of his ... were bathed in sunshine. Behind the brown sails sailed from white Fécamp mall and in front of a rock odd-shaped, rounded and holed through, looked like a huge elephant, which is loaded the trunk into the sea. These were the "small gate" Etretat ".

Claude Monet often came to work on the coast. In 1883 the artist settled in Giverny, making a brief trip to Brittany and Normandy. In the 1883-1886 years of Monet's several visits to the Channel coast, where coastal cliffs terminate in the sea and high cliffs, destroyed by the winds and surf, towering over the water like a fantastic arcades.

Shown in the picture rocky cliff Egyuy (Fr. Igla) and stone gate Port d'Aval, in his youth attracted Monet winning motive. In 1883, his new passion for the dramatic themes of the master returned to the rocky cliffs of Etretat, and because until 1885 he came here every year. Working on the painting "The Rock Egyuy and Port d'Aval» (L'Aiguille et la falaise d'Aval), the artist was located at the foot chasm in the cliff Valais d'Zhamburg, west of Etretat. Here, during high tide in the light of a winter morning and they had written this picture.

Working at Etretat, Monet met with Guy de Maupassant, who recalled: "I often accompanied by Claude Monet in his quest for experience. In those moments, he seemed not an artist, a real hunter. Behind him walked the children who bore the canvas - five or six canvases representing the same subject, but imprinted at different times of day and under different lighting conditions. As soon as the skies have changed, he took it in turn one and then another sheet, then to proceed to the next. He stared at the spot of light and shadow, biding his time, ambushing the right moment, and then suddenly seemed to catch a sunbeam or passing clouds and a few rapid movements of the brush put them on canvas, not thinking about conditional and despising all fake.
Once I was able to spy, as he caught the shimmering reflection of light falling on the white rock, and immediately recorded it in the form of several strokes of yellow in an amazing way of transmitting this elusive effect of a dazzling glow. Another time he took a shower over the sea in his hands and threw him to the canvas - and in fact, it was a real rain, transferred to canvas. "
 
Paintings by Claude Monet:
- Cliff Egyuy (Igla) in Etretat, the ebb "(" Aiguille d'Etretat, marée basse "), in 1883, 60.3 x 81 cm, private collection.
- Cliff Egyuy and Port d'Aval, 1885, 65 x 81 cm, Art Institute of Stirling and Francine Clark, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
- "Rock Needle and Porte d'Aval, Etretat, 1885, 64.8 x 81 cm, Museum Fitzwilliam, Cambridge University.
- "Rain in Etretat, 1884.