Shop art print and framed art Water lillies by Claude Monet

Claude Monet's Water Lilies: a marvel of Impressionist art

A major work from the late career of the famous French painter Claude Monet, the Water Lilies are a group of nearly 250 paintings produced between 1897 and 1926. These canvases feature the water gardens of Giverny, where the painter lived for more than forty years.

The origin of Claude Monet's Water Lilies

In the early 1890s, Claude Monet was working on his garden at Giverny, located in Normandy. He decided to create a water lily pond there, inspired by the Japanese gardens he was particularly fond of. It was from this moment that his fascination with these aquatic flowers was born, and they would become the main subject of his later works.

In 1899, Monet exhibited his paintings of water lilies for the first time at an exhibition in Paris. These first paintings were very well received by the public and critics, who saw them as a renewal of the Impressionist style. In the light of this success, Monet decided to continue his artistic exploration around the water lilies and over the years produced several hundred paintings dedicated to this theme.

The Grand Décor project

In the 1910s, Monet developed an ambitious project linked to the Water Lilies: the Grand Décor. This involved a series of large panoramic canvases depicting scenes of his water lily pond. The idea is to create a real immersion in the aquatic and plant world of the gardens of Giverny.

To create these immense compositions, Monet worked in a studio specially built to accommodate these monumental canvases. Indeed, the artist wanted these works to be exhibited in a unique location, where the viewer would be surrounded by the paintings, creating an immersive artistic experience.

The culmination of the project: L'Orangerie

After the First World War, and thanks in particular to the support of French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, Claude Monet managed to make his dream a reality. In 1922, he offered the French state a set of eight large canvases of water lilies, with the condition that they be exhibited in a dedicated venue.

It was finally in 1927, a year after Monet's death, that the Water Lilies were installed at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. The paintings are displayed there in two oval rooms designed especially for them, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the poetic, dreamlike world of the gardens at Giverny.

A symbol of peace

The installation of the Water Lilies at the Orangerie is also a powerful symbol for France. Indeed, the paintings were donated by Monet as a tribute to victory in the First World War and the armistice signed in 1918. The Water Lilies are thus seen as a message of peace and hope for the future.

A striking influence on modern art

Claude Monet's Water Lilies are considered a milestone in the evolution of modern art. Through their innovative style, they paved the way for many twentieth-century artists, particularly those of lyrical abstraction and abstract expressionism.

The pioneering role of Claude Monet

With the Water Lilies, Monet developed a new way of painting. He gradually moved away from the codes of classical Impressionism and concentrated on studying the effects of light and reflections on water. His canvases thus became veritable experiments around colour, texture and composition.

This revolutionary approach greatly influenced artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, who followed in Monet's footsteps by exploring the possibilities offered by abstract and gestural painting.

The Water Lilies: a legacy still alive

Today, Claude Monet's Water Lilies are still considered to be major works of modern art. Their impact on the development of painting is undeniable and their international renown bears witness to their importance in the history of art.

• The Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris remains the privileged place to admire the Water Lilies. The oval rooms where the paintings are exhibited provide a unique, immersive experience at the heart of Giverny's aquatic world.
• Many other cultural institutions around the world also have Monet's Water Lilies in their collections, in particular, the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris 16 or the the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as the National Gallery in London.
• Finally, the gardens of Giverny remain a place of pilgrimage for Impressionist art lovers. Claude Monet's house and water lily garden are now open to the public and offer an intimate glimpse of the setting that inspired the painter throughout his career.

This artwork is a painting from the modern period. It belongs to the impressionism style.

« Water lillies » is kept at Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris, France.