Water Lilies

This painting is cropped to the water’s edge, giving it a strange, almost boundless quality. The flowers which would grow on the bank are seen reflected in the lilac water at the top and bottom right of the painting. The colours in the water are many and dance amongst each other, creating the impression of calmly moving water catching the light. The lilypads have an orange highlight suggesting a warm light from the afternoon sun. The colours in the work are diverse but emphasise one another in their contrast.  Capturing how light is seen in real vision was the key goal of the Impressionists, of whom Monet is a recognised leader. They wanted to demonstrate that light is made up of multiple colours and that objects in our vision are not always in perfect focus, but rather an impression of themselves.  A second group of lilypads at the top left demonstrate this blurred perspective which is indicative of real vision. Monet’s paintings of water lilies are some of his most famous, and have become somewhat of a signature for the artist. He created at least 250 oil paintings of the lilies in his garden at Giverny during the last 30 years of his career.