Water Lilies, the Clouds

As an ardent lover of nature throughout his entire life, it is no wonder that Claude Monet spent 43 years living in the village while creating the verdant and ever-flowering gardens of Giverny in northwestern France. After glimpsing Giverny through a train window, Claude Monet decided he would move to there, and he did just that and lived there, creating his own living and breathing studio in his gardens. Inspired by his aquatic creation, he painted the famous Claude Monet Water Lilies and is world-renowned for this marvelous and universally revered series of paintings.

As a part of each morning’s routine, Claude Monet would spend time studying the sky during his time at Giverny in order to determine if the lighting suited his tastes for painting each day. All through the day, Claude Monet observed the sky to see how the light would fall upon his given subject on any given day. One might say that Claude Monet Water Lilies were already painted in the impressionist artist’s mind’s eye well before he even set to work building the botanically sumptuous water garden in the latter part of 1893. By January of 1894, the pond was under construction, and the artist painted his first rendering of Claude Monet Water Lilies before setting off on a trip to Norway. He was concerned that his beloved fledgling pond would freeze over during his time away, through the bitter months of winter.

Claude Monet continued adding to his pond by infusing a large number of water lilies, as well as unique bog plants. The process of developing his cherished pond into a flourishing jewel never ceased over the years. Draping richly scented wisteria over the wooden bridge while continually introducing rare water lilies to the pond, draped with weeping willows, continued to allow the pond to evolve with Claude Monet’s vision over the years, as well as giving him the inspiration to create yet another work of Claude Monet Water Lilies to add to the growing collection.

The introduction of the weeping willows allowed light to fall uniquely through the leaves with each day’s distinctive light, especially to Claude Monet’s eye, giving the impressionist a fresh new painting at any point in any season. This self-renewing and ever-evolving aspect of the pond and its botanical inhabitants gave rise to approximately 250 impressions of Claude Monet Water Lilies.

Claude Monet’s emotional response to nature was alive and growing, as was his pond. His fervor was further enhanced by the influence of plants from the Far East. Friends brought the painter gifts from the Orient, including tree peonies and lilies to add to the pond’s thriving collection. The softened vibrant colors, plant life, birds, butterflies, bees; all portrayed through the prism of Monet’s keen eye, spring to luminous life in each rendition of the series. Claude Monet’s use of light and how it affects each detail of the radiant hues and animated wildlife in his pond are what makes Claude Monet Water Lilies the esteemed masterpieces that they are.

Claude Monet Water Lilies are true gems that art lovers make pilgrimages to see at any opportunity at world-famous museums such as The Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Even those who do not know the history of Claude Monet will at least recognize the unique beauty of one of the Claude Monet Water Lilies paintings when they see one.