À propos de l’œuvre
Nymphéas, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1916 -1919 · Fondation Beyeler · W1854
Water lilies, Fondation Beyeler W1854hand painted reproduction
Two meters high, the water lily leaves draw a flexible diagonal between lilac, pale blue and pink reflections. No horizon closes the space: Monet transforms the surface of the pool into a vertical field where water, sky and vegetation become almost inseparable.
Look at the work
A diagonal of water lilies gives direction to the water without horizon
The large yellow-green leaves gather in the upper left corner, then descend towards the center and bottom of the canvas. Their arrangement is neither regular nor decorative: the intervals of clear water create the rhythm and allow the gaze to circulate between the different groups.
On the right, long green marks evoke reflected stems and plants. They contrast with the more horizontal and milky passages in the center. Cold pinks, purples and blues appear beneath the greens, giving the water a depth that remains luminous.
Monet does not represent the sky above the pool: he lowers it into the water, between the leaves, until the limit between surface and depth is uncertain.
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 unusual vertical composition
The 200 × 180 cm format requires water lilies to be read from top to bottom. The diagonal of the leaves must remain fluid without becoming a simple garland.
Greens warmed by yellow and pink
The leaves are never uniform green. Their dark edges, yellow centers and small pink flowers establish a delicate hierarchy.
Vertical reflections hanging on the right
A few dark lines descend into the lighter areas. Their irregularity is enough to evoke off-camera vegetation without closing the space.
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 full view measures 1,979 × 2,200 px; the two native cropping measures 1,500 × 1,050 px and 1,550 × 1,050 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.
Inventory 03.2, Wildenstein 1854
The Fondation Beyeler dates this oil on canvas from 1916 -1919, indicates 200 × 180 cm and identifies it by inventory 03.2 as well as by number 1854 of the catalog raisonné.
From Michel Monet to the Beyeler collection
The notice traces the passage of Michel Monet's work to Wildenstein & Co., then to an American collection. It was acquired by the Beyeler collection in 2001 and has belonged to the foundation since 2003.
The pool becomes an almost abstract space
Without banks or horizons, floating leaves serve as the only landmarks. Lilac and vertical reflections transform the observation of the Giverny garden into an autonomous organization of colors and gestures.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version Inv. 03.2, Wildenstein 1854
- The vertical ratio of 200 × 180 cm
- The irregular diagonal of water lily leaves
- Lilac reflections preserved under the yellow greens
Work sheet
| Title | Water lilies, Fondation Beyeler W1854 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1916 - 1919 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 200 × 180 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland |
| Inventory | Inv. 03.2 · Wildenstein 1854 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Sage green, lilac, mist blue and powder pink give this reproduction a clear and meditative presence. Its almost square but slightly vertical format is suitable for an ivory, linen, gray green or very pale mauve wall.
