À propos de l’œuvre
Nymphéas, effet du soir, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1897 · Marmottan Monet Museum 5167 · W1504
Water lilies, evening effect, Marmottan W1504hand painted reproduction
In this 1897 painting, Monet approaches his pool before the vast late compositions. White and pink water lilies float on green and blue water, crossed by darker reflections. The bank and the sky are already disappearing: the evening can only be read in the cooling of the colors, the plant shadows and the light retained on the surface.
Look at the work
Monet's first water lilies float in evening water where the sky only exists through its reflections
The leaves group together mainly in the center and towards the edges, leaving visible water passages between them. Their shapes still remain relatively naturalistic: green, brown or reddish, they are laid with flexible contours. The light flowers animate the surface without forming a regular pattern.
The water combines blue, olive green, turquoise and purple. Darker vertical touches evoke reflected vegetation, while lighter passages suggest the sky above the pool. No horizon separates these elements: the entire image functions like an unstable mirror.
As early as 1897, Monet understood that the basin could contain the entire landscape: the plants on its surface, the sky above and the depths underwater.
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.
One of the first evocations of the basin
The Marmottan Monet Museum places this work among the beginnings of the water lily motif. The shapes remain more descriptive than in the large late panels, but the framing without horizon is already decisive.
The evening translated by colorful reports
There is no setting sun or strip of sky. The evening effect arises from the colder blues, darkened greens and vertical reflections that cross the surface.
Flowers that are still naturalistic
The white and pink petals are clearly distinguishable from the leaves. They must remain light and colorful, without becoming too clear white spots in the middle of the water.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The single reference image measures 1404 × 1024 px, native definition available for version 5167 of the Marmottan Monet Museum. It was converted into a real WebP without artificial enlargement.
A space constructed by intervals
The voids between the leaves reveal changes in the water and organize several depths. Their rhythm is as important as the water lilies themselves.
Greens ranging from olive to turquoise
Leaves and reflections never use a single green. Hot and cold passages must remain distinct so that the surface retains its breathing.
A more measured touch than in late works
The shapes are still readable, but their edges blend into the water. This transition between naturalist observation and pictorial freedom makes the canvas unique.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
This information concerns Water Lilies, evening effect of the Marmottan Monet Museum, inventory 5167 and Wildenstein 1504.
Marmottan Monet Museum 5167, W1504
This oil on canvas from 1897 measures 73 × 100 cm. It bears Claude Monet's workshop stamp at the bottom left.
One of the first paintings dedicated to the basin
The museum notice emphasizes that Monet then begins to make water and water lilies an autonomous subject. The shore disappears and the sky only manifests itself in the form of a reflection.
Entered the museum in 1966
The work is part of the legacy of Michel Monet, son of the painter, at the Marmottan Museum. This 1966 donation constituted the heart of the world's largest collection of works by Claude Monet.
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 Marmottan Monet Museum, inventory 5167 and Wildenstein 1504
- The original horizontal format of 73 × 100 cm
- White and pink water lilies kept light on the dark surface
- The evening effect rendered by blues, greens and reflections rather than by a visible sky
Work sheet
| Title | Water lilies, evening effect, Marmottan W1504 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1897 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73 × 100 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Marmottan Monet Museum, Paris, France |
| Inventory | 5167 · Wildenstein 1504 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Olive green, petrol blue, turquoise, pale pink and purple make up an intimate and peaceful palette. This horizontal reproduction is suitable for a bedroom, living room or reading space with walnut, linen and indirect light.
