Monet's Dreamlike Haze Linked to Air Pollution, Scientists Confirm
A recent study by climate scientists has found new evidence to confirm a long-held theory by some art historians about what was behind the distinctive dreamy haze in Monet's work. The study looked at over 100 paintings by Monet and British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner, with the goal of finding an empirical basis to the hypothesis that the paintings capture increasingly polluted skies during the Industrial Revolution. The paintings chronicle the historical changes in the atmospheric environment, according to the researchers, and particularly the rise in emissions of sulfur dioxide, a coal-derived pollutant that causes acid rain and respiratory issues.