“Between 1888 and 1891 Monet produced a series of paintings of haystacks. Theme and variation had been integral parts of Monet’s earlier work, but the Haystacks were the first deliberate series. Fifteen of them were shown together, separated from other paintings, in an exhibition at the Durand-Ruel Gallery in 1891. During an interview with the Dutch critic Byvanck that same year Monet stressed the importance of seeing the series as a whole. He implied that to isolate a specific moment, by painting the subject only once, was to deny one aspect of reality: the passage of time. Because one moment exists only in relation to others, an individual painting could not convey the “true and exact” effect, as Monet called it, of the series as a group.”
– Charles S. Moffett & James N. Wood, Monet’s Years at Giverny: Beyond Impressionism