À propos de l’œuvre
Bouquet de tournesols, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Vétheuil · 1881 · W628
Bouquet of sunflowers W628hand painted reproduction
A large bouquet of sunflowers almost completely fills the canvas. The flower heads seen from the front, in profile or inclined are superimposed above a Japanese vase, while the dark leaves detach the yellows from the brown background. Painted in 1881, this oil on canvas measuring 101 × 81.3 cm is kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under number 29.100.107 and corresponds to Wildenstein 628.
Look at the work
A monumental bouquet constructed of yellows, greens and browns
The tallest flowers almost touch the upper edge. Their stems converge towards a narrow vase decorated with blue and white patterns. Instead of aligning the corollas, Monet turns them in several directions and circulates the gaze throughout the mass.
The yolks range from light lemon to orange ocher; the hearts combine brown, olive green and black. The warm background absorbs the leaves in places and brings out the illuminated petals. The table is just a dark band that stabilizes the vase.
Sunflowers are not inventoried one by one: Monet paints their weight, their orientation and the way in which their yellow changes on contact with the bottom and the leaves.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
Flower heads observed from several angles
Some sunflowers open in front of the viewer, others show their profile or their reverse side. This diversity gives the bouquet its real volume.
The vase as a discreet axis
Its vertical shape brings together the stems and refocuses a deliberately overflowing composition. Its cold patterns provide a counterpoint to warm yellows.
A light produced by colors
The light petals stand out from the brown background and deep foliage. Monet achieves shine without isolating each flower with an outline.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's only reference image has been converted into a real WebP of 2,429 × 3,000 px. It preserves the details of the petals, foliage and vase.
Preserve the different orientations of the flowers
The reproduction must distinguish faces, profiles and reverse sides in order to preserve the spatial construction of the bouquet.
Keep the depth of the brown background
A background that was too black would harden the scene; too light, it would cause sunflowers to lose their concentrated shine.
Keep the Japanese vase visible
Its blues and whites remain discreet, but its shape and decoration precisely identify this W628 version.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Metropolitan Museum of Art documents Bouquet of Sunflowers, oil on canvas from 1881, 101 × 81.3 cm, inventory 29.100.107 and catalog Wildenstein 628.
Presented at the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition
Monet exhibited the painting in 1882. Critics then noticed the audacity and energy of this dead nature of unusual dimensions.
Flowers grown in Vétheuil
The Met connects the bouquet to the sunflowers that grew along the path leading to Monet's garden, a motif also present in his views of Vétheuil.
The Havemeyer legacy of 1929
The work entered the Metropolitan Museum with the collection of Louisine W. Havemeyer, a great patron who had brought together important French paintings.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 628 version
- The flower heads oriented in several directions
- The blue and white Japanese vase
- The contrast between yellow and brown background
Work sheet
| Title | Bouquet of sunflowers W628 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1881 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 101 × 81.3 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States |
| Inventory | 29.100.107 · Wildenstein 628 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This vertical still life is suitable for a dining room, elegant kitchen or living room. A terracotta, olive or cream green wall and a matte gold frame support its warmth.
