Pebble beach diagonal Symbolism

A guiding vector that channels viewers and activity; symbolizes modern spectatorship arranged by space and vantage.

Common Themes

The modern lens: urban life & speedMimesis vs. abstraction (truth vs. artifice)Medium reflexivity (art about art)Nationalism & patriotismLeisure & recreationLandscape & placeClass & inequalityLabor & work

Artworks Featuring This Symbol

Regatta at Sainte-Adresse by Claude Monet

Regatta at Sainte-Adresse

Claude Monet (1867)

On a brilliant afternoon at the Normandy coast, a diagonal <strong>pebble beach</strong> funnels spectators with parasols toward a bay scattered with <strong>white-sailed yachts</strong>. Monet’s quick, broken strokes set <strong>wind, water, and light</strong> in synchrony, turning a local regatta into a modern scene of leisure held against the vastness of sea and sky <sup>[1]</sup><sup>[2]</sup>.