À propos de l’œuvre
Pont de Charing, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1903 · Saint Louis Art Museum · W1548
Charing Cross Bridge, train in the mist W1548hand painted reproduction
A white and purple train advances from the left on a bridge barely stronger than the mist. Below, the piers cut out windows of orange, pink and yellow light in the Thames. The sky occupies almost two thirds of the canvas: it absorbs the city, then descends into the reflections of the river.
Look at the work
White smoke starts the movement before the bridge reveals itself in the mist
The locomotive remains invisible behind a light plume which unfolds at the left edge. The blue-gray apron then crosses the canvas in a single movement, interrupted by the piles and a few orange touches. The city of London can be seen in the center under an extremely low line of green-blue silhouettes.
The lower half brings together the strongest contrasts. Between the piles, cream and pink beaches capture the sun; in front of them, a small character or a dark boat stands out in the water. The signature and date, placed at the bottom left, balance the luminous smoke located just above.
The city almost completely disappears, but the train, the batteries and the reflections are enough to transform the mist into a measurable space.
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.
An immense sky worked layer by layer
Mauve, gray blue, pink and yellow are superimposed over a large area without becoming neutral. Reproduction must preserve these small variations, particularly in the upper third.
The light locked between the batteries
The clear intervals under the bridge form the luminous heart of the work. Each opening has a different temperature, from cream to orange-pink.
A movement launched from the left edge
The plume of vapor almost touches the edge and leads the eye toward the center. Its irregular shape should not be closed with a white outline, as it immediately mixes with the fog.
Details and visual documents
Observe the material and the exact version
The additional images show the difficult-to-read passages in the full view and, where it exists, the actual appearance of the work at the museum.
The high definition view of the Saint Louis Art Museum measures 4,776 × 3,513 px. The native details of 1,900 × 1,600 px and 1,750 × 1,500 px are not enlarged. All three media outlets have been converted and verified as true WebPs.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These facts concern this precise version and are verified from the notice of the institution which keeps it.
St. Louis 22:1915, Wildenstein 1548
The Saint Louis Art Museum dates the work to 1903. This oil on canvas measures 73 × 104.1 cm and 92.2 × 118.9 × 8.9 cm with its frame. It is currently presented in gallery 218.
Around thirty views of the railway bridge
The museum links the painting to a collection of around thirty paintings by Charing Cross Bridge. Monet observed the same work under different lights and weather conditions during three stays in London between 1899 and 1901.
Acquired during Monet's lifetime in 1915
Durand-Ruel bought the painting from the artist in March 1913, sold it to Arthur B. Emmons, then took it back at the end of the same year. The museum acquired it directly from the gallery in 1915, eleven years before Monet's death.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version of the Saint Louis Art Museum, 22:1915 and W1548
- The original ratio of 73 × 104.1 cm
- The vast purple sky kept rich despite its faint contrasts
- The light openings under the bridge differentiated one by one
Work sheet
| Title | Charing Cross Bridge, train in the mist W1548 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1903 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73 × 104.1 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint-Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Inventory | 22:1915 · Wildenstein 1548 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Gray mauve, slate blue, ash pink, creamy yellow and sea green make up a cozy palette. This horizontal reproduction works on warm gray, linen or pale blue walls, with side lighting that reveals the material of the sky.
