À propos de l’œuvre
Le pont japonais, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · circa 1923 -1925 · Minneapolis Institute of Art · 61.36.15
The Japanese Bridgehand painted reproduction
The arch of the Japanese bridge is almost engulfed by thick layers of red, turquoise, blue and ocher. The pond and the plants are no longer separated: they form a network of powerful keys where the pattern only appears after a time of observation.
Look at the work
The bridge remains visible, but the color has taken over the garden
The arch crosses the upper third in a dark turquoise curve. It is never isolated from the foliage: reds, greens and blues pass in front and behind it. The right bank becomes a large brown and purple vertical; on the left, lighter masses briefly open the composition.
In the pool, horizontal touches of ocher, red, blue and white no longer describe each water lily. They form a colored current which leads towards the yellow opening under the bridge. The heavily loaded surface keeps overlays and changes in brush direction visible.
Twenty-five years after his first Japanese bridges, Monet no longer seeks the clarity of the garden: he brings out the arch of a dense, almost abstract colored material.
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 arch found in matter
The bridge should not be redesigned as a sharp object. Its turquoise curve is constructed in fragments, interrupted by the red and green touches that absorb it.
Pigments stacked layer after layer
The Minneapolis Institute of Art emphasizes the thickness and intensity of late material. Reliefs, coverings and covers count as much as the final shades.
A palette far removed from the local color
Brick red, intense blue, turquoise green and yellow confront each other without seeking a literal transcription. This chromatic freedom gives the pattern its almost visionary energy.
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 source photograph from the Minneapolis Institute of Art measures 5956 × 4606 px. The main view has been reduced to 5600 × 4331 px to stay below 25 megapixels; details measure 3300 × 2200 px and 3300 × 1800 px. No files have been enlarged and all three images are real 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.
Minneapolis Inventory 61.36.15
The museum dates this oil on canvas to around 1923 -1925. The support measures 88.9 × 116.2 cm; a succession stamp "Claude Monet" appears at the bottom right.
The garden bridge painted until recent years
Monet moved to Giverny in 1883 and devoted a large part of his life to the garden and the pond. In this late version, the familiar motif becomes the starting point for a much more expressive painting.
The legacy of Putnam Dana McMillan
The work belongs to the Minneapolis Institute of Art thanks to the legacy of Putnam Dana McMillan. The museum classifies it in the public domain and preserves a photograph of 5956 × 4606 px.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The curve of the bridge readable in fragments only
- Thick overlays of red, turquoise, blue and ocher
- The yellow opening below the arch as the main depth
- The estate stamp reproduced without confusing it with a signature
Work sheet
| Title | The Japanese Bridge |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | around 1923 -1925 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 88.9 × 116.2 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, United States |
| Inventory | 61.36.15 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This late version has a more expressionistic intensity than the green views of 1899. It functions as a large colored fireplace on a cream, deep brown, midnight blue or muted terracotta wall, with side lighting revealing the material.
