Water Lilies, by Claude Monet, 1840-1926
Oil on canvas
Height 12 1/4 inches, Width 8 1/4 inches
1983.532
Near the end of his life, Monet became obsessed with capturing the
effects of light and water in his paintings. He said, "I have
again taken up something impossible -- water with grass rippling at
the bottom. It's fine to look at, but it's madness to want to paint
it. Oh well, I'm always getting into such things." (Courthion,
p. 118) The atmosphere created by light, water, and fog became the
subject of many paintings, including the water lilies.
Begun in the late 1910's, this is a late example of the water lily
series based on Monet's garden pool at Giverny. There is no background
and no distance, only colors and shapes. It borders on abstract, drawing
the viewer in to meditate on the colors and textures. One can see
things in such a painting that are more than what is there, as it
evokes feelings and emotions in the viewer.
Courthion, Pierre. Impressionism. Translated by John Shepley.
New York: Abrams, [1972].
Gayford, Martin. "The Impossible Subject." Modern Painters,
v. 11, no. 4, Winter 1998, p. 50-55.
Isaacson, Joel. "Monet, Claude: Life and work, The 1890s and
after." The Grove Dictionary of Art Online, ed. L. Macy
(Accessed 17 September 2002), <http://www.groveart.com>
