Nymphéas (Musée Marmottan Monet, 1916–19, inv. 5119)

This Nymphéas (Water Lilies) is a tall canvas, 200 × 180 cm, that Claude Monet painted of his pond at Giverny between 1916 and 1919. It bears the studio stamp signature at lower left and came to the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris with the bequest of Michel Monet in 1966 (inv. 5119). It is number 1855 in the Wildenstein catalogue raisonné.

What you're looking at

The upper half of the canvas is a calm field of lily pads. Painted as flat, rounded shapes in blue-grey, slate and soft green, they recede toward the top edge, where they become smaller and paler. Six or seven flowers open among them: white petals with yellow centers, and one larger bloom just right of center that catches the most light. A thin violet haze hangs over the top edge, the reflection of foliage above.

The lower half changes key. On the right, a cascade of lilac, violet and pale blue strokes pours downward, the reflection of a weeping willow on the bank. On the left, the water darkens into deep green, and at the bottom left corner a slope of brighter green and turquoise grass marks the edge of the pond.

What makes this version distinct is that clear division between a lit, legible upper zone of pads and flowers and a lower zone of reflection and shadow. The light feels like soft daylight, with no strong sun, the colors cool and silvery.

Where and when it was painted

This canvas is one of a set of tall, near-square pictures, all 200 × 180 cm, that Monet painted during the war years while preparing his decorative cycle. He had built a new studio at Giverny in 1915 to work on large formats, and he painted motifs from the pond over and over, varying the balance of lilies, willow and bank. The Marmottan owns several from this group.

How it was painted

The pads are laid in with broad, rounded strokes, two or three tones each, so they seem to tilt. The willow reflection on the right is built from long, wavering verticals in lilac and blue, layered loosely so that darker water shows between them. The grass in the corner is painted in thick, quick strokes of green and turquoise, the most saturated color in the picture. The flowers are thick touches of white and yellow, laid last.

How this version differs

Its closest sibling is the Marmottan's Nymphéas (1916–19), identical in size, where a dark willow fills the left side and the water turns violet. In Water-Lilies, Reflection of a Weeping Willow the willow cascade takes over the whole square. Here the lilies are still clearly the subject, and the reflection is kept to the lower right, making it one of the most balanced canvases of the group. The Orsay's Blue Water Lilies is a cooler variation on the same idea. All belong to the Water Lilies series.

A detail to look for

The flower just right of center, the largest on the canvas, has a yellow heart surrounded by white petals, but look closely and the white is not white: it is built from strokes of cream, lilac and pale green. Monet rarely used pure white for his lilies in these years. Instead he let the surrounding colors seep into the petals, so the flower seems to belong to the water. Compare the small blossoms near the top edge, which are no more than a few touches of cream on blue-grey. In a museum setting, standing a meter or so away, the big flower is the point where the whole canvas comes into focus.

Where to see it

The Musée Marmottan Monet shows its Monet collection, the largest group of late canvases by Claude Monet anywhere, in a dedicated gallery; works rotate and travel. For the garden at Giverny, see Giverny: Monet's House and Garden.