Claude Monet’s 250 Paintings of Water Lilies

From around 1897, the last 30 years of Claude Monet’s life were dominated by the painting of water lilies in the garden of his home in Giverny, France. Monet had come to the realisation that light was governed by varying factors, such as the weather, time of day, and seasonality. 1 He then took on the task of painting the exact same objects (painted in the impressionist manner en plein air ), from the same position, at different times of the day or year and in different weather. In orchestrating the tones, textures and colours of the setting, he used short, rapid dabs of pure paint to create the lily-encrusted surface of the pond and the flourishes of the flowers. 2 As the years passed Monet’s painting of his pond became seemingly more abstract. In 1902, at the age of 62, Monet began to have difficulties with his vision, complaining of not being able to see colours with the same intensity. The paintings of his pond became seemingly more abstract. In 1912, Monet was diagnosed with cataracts by an ophthalmologist. 3 The whites, greens and blues of his water lilies subtly changed to what was described as a ‘muddier’ yellow and purple. After 1915, another shift can be identified with the presence of more red and yellow tones. 4 Despite his failing eyesight, Monet continued to paint—interestingly, adding a new dimension, the vagaries of sight, to the perception of a space. By the time of his death, Monet had completed around 250 paintings of his water lilies.

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