À propos de l’œuvre
Le Pont Japonais – 1899, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Giverny, 1899 · National Gallery of Art · W1517
The Japanese Gateway, NGA W1517hand painted reproduction
The turquoise walkway arches just below the upper edge, as if the garden continues out of the frame. Below, the white, pink and yellow water lilies advance in irregular bands amid green reflections. This version of Washington combines a very narrow view with a luminous range where the bridge remains solid without ever losing the vibration of the touch.
Look at the work
A turquoise arch closes the garden while the pool opens towards the viewer
The bridge occupies the entire upper third. Its curve almost touches the edge of the canvas and its ends disappear off-camera, which mentally enlarges the structure. The green-blue uprights bear eggplant purple shadows; behind them, the dark foliage forms a continuous enclosure which eliminates any appearance of the sky.
Under the arch, tall grass bends towards the water and creates a passage between the garden and the pond. Water lilies are small and tight at first, then become wider and brighter in the foreground. Their whites are never pure: pink, yellow, mauve and green connect them to the surrounding reflections.
By cutting the ends of the bridge and removing the sky, Monet transforms his garden into an enclosed space whose depth is entirely carried by water.
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.
A footbridge framed like a vault
The top of the arch is placed very high and the sides come out of the field. Respecting this framing maintains the feeling of immersion and prevents the bridge from appearing small in the garden.
Purple shadows inside the turquoise
The railings combine green, blue, off-white and eggplant. These colored shadows give volume to the structure without resorting to uniform brown or black.
Larger and larger flowers down
The increasing size of water lilies provides the scale of the pool. Their irregular spacing must remain legible to preserve the depth and natural rhythm of the surface.
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 National Gallery of Art's open digitization measures 4,000 × 3,225 px. An actual photograph of the canvas at the museum measures 1,952 × 1,564 px and the native detail measures 1,600 × 1,600 px. No files have been artificially enlarged; all three media are real decodable 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.
NGA 1992.9.1, Wildenstein 1517
The National Gallery of Art dates the painting to 1899, indicates a format of 81.3 × 101.6 cm and records it under the number 1992.9.1. The signature and date "Claude Monet 99" appear at the bottom right.
Twelve paintings from a single point of view
In 1899, Monet produced twelve versions from the same location in front of the basin. The NGA emphasizes that he himself had designed this environment: the shape of the pond, footbridge, water lilies and plantations become elements of recomposed nature.
From Durand-Ruel to the 1992 donation
Durand-Ruel bought the painting from Monet in January 1900. After several American collections, it entered the National Gallery in 1992 thanks to a donation from Victoria Nebeker Coberly, with Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version of Washington, 1992.9.1 and W1517
- The original horizontal format of 81.3 × 101.6 cm
- The turquoise walkway framed flush with the upper edge
- The precise progression of white, pink and yellow flowers towards the foreground
Work sheet
| Title | The Japanese Gateway, NGA W1517 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1899 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 81.3 × 101.6 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States |
| Inventory | 1992.9.1 · Wildenstein 1517 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Turquoise, emerald green, pale pink, buttercup yellow and eggplant purple make up a fresh but deep palette. This horizontal reproduction illuminates a living room or bedroom with light wood, ecru walls and some green or gray blue textiles.
