À propos de l’œuvre
Nymphéas, reflets de saule, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1916 -1919 · Metropolitan Museum 1983.532 · W1858
Water lilies with willow reflections, Met W1858hand painted reproduction
Nearly two meters wide, the water in the pool becomes a very dark blue-green field. Turquoise and purple leaves float among a few red flowers, while long light touches suggest the branches of a willow reflected on the surface. This late version, kept at the Metropolitan Museum, leads the landscape towards an almost abstract painting without losing the presence of water.
Look at the work
Vertical reflections pass through the floating leaves in a blue-green depth without edges or horizons
The canvas shows no sky directly. On the left, tall cream, lavender and pale blue markings descend between large turquoise leaves. Towards the center, the water lilies become more purple and thin red accents separate them from the background. Depth is constructed by overlap, change of scale and contrast of brightness rather than by a drawn perspective.
The right half is denser. Deep blue, emerald green, purple and brown surround several orange-red flowers. At the bottom, the vertical gestures lengthen then meet a lighter border, left visible in places. This peripheral breathing recalls the progressive construction of the canvas and prevents the dark matter from becoming uniform.
The pool remains recognizable, but each leaf and each reflection has enough autonomy to transform the surface into a color field.
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.
Circular sheets without continuous outline
Each water lily combines turquoise, purple, blue and green. A pink or red accent is enough to detach it from the water; a regular line would make the leaves too graphic and cause the vibration of the key to lose its vibration.
Willow reflections constructed by verticals
Cream and lavender marks fall between groups of leaves instead of sparkling horizontally. Their rhythm must remain irregular in order to suggest the branches without transforming them into a decorative motif.
A darkness composed of colors
The background is never black. Prussian blue, deep green, purple and brown overlap, allowing the red flowers to remain bright without being artificially saturated.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The only reference image is the Metropolitan Museum's Open Access scan. It measures 3,811 × 2,486 px and has been converted into a real WebP without artificial enlargement.
A water-focused panorama
The 130.2 × 200.7 cm format stretches the groups of leaves and lets the reflections circulate between them. Colorful voids are as important as floating patterns.
Warm reds versus cold blues
A few orange-red flowers are enough to balance the blue-green mass. Their exact position guides the eye across the width without creating regular repetition.
A broad touch of the late period
The gestures remain visible and sometimes intersect without completely merging. Oil reproduction must preserve these differences in thickness and direction.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These benchmarks concern the Metropolitan Museum version, inventory 1983.532 and Wildenstein 1858.
Met 1983.532, Wildenstein 1858
The Metropolitan Museum dates this oil on canvas from 1916 -1919 and publishes dimensions of 130.2 × 200.7 cm. The catalog raisonné records it under number 1858.
From the observed garden to an almost abstract painting
The museum highlights the fluid and bold language of those years. The Giverny basin is no longer described as a traditional landscape: it becomes the starting point for an exploration of color, surface and reflection.
Gift of Louise Reinhardt Smith in 1983
The Met's credit line indicates that Louise Reinhardt Smith donated the work in 1983. It belongs to the European Paintings Department and is on display in the galleries on Fifth Avenue.
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 Metropolitan Museum, 1983.532 and Wildenstein 1858
- The original panoramic ratio of 130.2 × 200.7 cm
- Vertical reflections kept distinct from circular leaves
- Reds and purples preserved in a very dark blue-green material
Work sheet
| Title | Water lilies with willow reflections, Met W1858 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1916 - 1919 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 130.2 × 200.7 cm |
| Orientation | Panoramic horizontal |
| Conservation | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States |
| Inventory | 1983.532 · Wildenstein 1858 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Midnight blue, emerald green, turquoise, plum purple and coral red give this panoramic reproduction a deep presence. It is suitable for a wide wall, above a sofa or low sideboard, with soft side light.
