Water Lilies, ca. 1915–1926. Claude Monet. Oil on canvas. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust.
In 1893, Claude Monet bought land adjacent to his property in Giverny, dug a pond, and turned it into a Japanese-inspired water garden. This contemplative environment served as inspiration for a series of paintings that occupied Monet’s artistic production from 1901 until his death in 1926. Typical of his other paintings dedicated to the water lily pond, the subject here is not so much the flowers but the dream-like effects produced by light reflecting off this liquid world.
Water Lilies was originally created as the right-hand segment of a triptych composed of three identically sized panels. Monet conceived it as part of a larger decorative installation intended to produce a soothing, meditative experience for its viewers.
