À propos de l’œuvre
La Seine à Giverny, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1897 · NGA 1963.10.180 · W1494
The Seine at Giverny, NGA W1494hand painted reproduction
A mass of trees is reflected in the Seine until it forms an almost complete oval. The pale sky and water share very light roses, creams and blues, while the vegetation brings together green, purple and turquoise. Monet painted this view in 1897, when the river near Giverny became the subject of a series devoted to the calm hours of the morning.
Look at the work
The trees and their reflection make up a large dark shape suspended between two expanses of light
The main group of trees is to the right of the center. Its rounded crown is constructed by small touches of green, blue, purple and gray. Lower masses extend the bank to the left and right.
In the water, vegetation repeats itself without perfect symmetry. The keys become more horizontal and freer, then dissolve into the creamy pink of the river. The signature "Claude Monet" appears at the bottom left.
The tree and its reflection appear to form a single organism, but the key directions still make it possible to distinguish the real world from its image.
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 off-center main mass
The large tree rises to the right, leaving a bright opening to the left. This balance avoids too stable symmetry and gives the composition its slow movement.
The reflection as a second painting
The image in the water takes the colors of the bank but stretches them horizontally. It must not be copied mechanically: its breaks make the current felt.
A work from the 1897 series
That year, Monet worked on the arms of the Seine near Giverny and on the Mornings. Low lights and calm surfaces herald her subsequent research on the basin.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The Open Access source measures 9,119 × 7,359 px. It was reduced to 5,000 × 4,035 px for Shopify then converted into a real WebP, without artificial enlargement.
A horizon placed near the middle
The bank divides the canvas, then the reflections connect the two halves. Maintaining this proportion maintains the contemplative stability of the scene.
Dark trees without black
Cucumber green, emerald, indigo blue, purple and gray make up the vegetation. The deepest passages should remain colored.
Two scriptures for sky and water
The sky receives flexible and clear gestures; the water of the keys more horizontal. This slight difference is enough to make the mirror fluvial.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These landmarks concern La Seine à Giverny from the National Gallery of Art, 1963.10.180 and Wildenstein 1494.
NGA 1963.10.180, Wildenstein 1494
The National Gallery of Art dates the painting to 1897 and publishes dimensions of 81.5 × 100.5 cm. The catalog raisonné records it under number 1494.
Chester Dale legacy in 1963
After belonging to James F. Sutton and then Chester Dale, the work entered the National Gallery of Art by bequest in 1963.
Signature lower left
The official notice notes the inscription "Claude Monet" in the lower left corner, placed in the light tones of the water.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version from the National Gallery of Art, 1963.10.180 and W1494
- The original horizontal ratio of 81.5 × 100.5 cm
- The difference in gesture between trees and their reflection
- Dark colors maintained in green, blue, purple and gray
Work sheet
| Title | The Seine at Giverny, NGA W1494 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1897 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 81.5 × 100.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States |
| Inventory | 1963.10.180 · Wildenstein 1494 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Bluish green, purple, turquoise, cream pink and gray give this horizontal reproduction a peaceful presence. It is suitable for a living room, bedroom or office in natural tones.
