For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the air and the light which vary continually. For me, it is only the, surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.
Claude Monet (1891); as quoted in: National Gallery of Australia, Michael Lloyd, Michael Desmond (1992), European and American paintings and sculptures 1870-1970 in the Australian National Gallery, p. 75 - 1890–1900