À propos de l’œuvre
Les Nymphéas : Reflets d'arbres, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1914 -1926 · Orangery · INV 20107
Tree reflections, Water Lilieshand painted reproduction
For eight and a half meters, the willow branches descend into blue-green, purple and almost black water. A few white and pink water lilies float between the reflections, without bank or horizon, in a space that envelops the gaze.
Look at the work
Two monumental panels where trees only exist through their reflections
The whole brings together two contiguous panels of 200 × 425 cm. Long vertical trails, particularly dense in the center, evoke the willows which border the pool. They meet the more horizontal gestures of the surface and the rounded shapes of the leaves.
Flowers are rare: a few whites, pinks and yellows punctuate a range dominated by blue, green and purple. Without sky or earth line, the gaze hesitates between the depth of the reflected trees and the proximity of the water lilies placed on the water.
Tree reflections transform the pool into mental space: we simultaneously see what floats on the surface and what is reflected in its depth.
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.
Two panels unified by the verticals
The dark descents visually cross the central junction and give continuity to the decor. The diptych structure remains noticeable without cutting off the body of water.
A depth created without horizon
The reflections suggest a space below the surface, while the leaves bring the eye to the foreground. Preserving this ambiguity is more important than detailing each water lily.
Rare flowers in a dark range
Pink and white accents should remain spaced apart. Multiplying them or making them too bright would lose the gravity and breathability of this version.
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 exact panoramic view measures 3000 × 684 px. The two details of 1500 × 684 px correspond directly to the left and right halves of the set. No files have been enlarged; 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.
The INV 20107 inventory of the Musée de l'Orangerie
The whole, painted between 1914 and 1926, measures approximately 200 × 850 cm. It is made up of two panels of 200 × 425 cm mounted on the west wall of the second Water Lilies room.
The great decor offered to the State in 1922
Monet proposes the Water Lilies as a monument to peace. The donation was formalized in 1922 and the installation desired for the Orangery opened to the public in 1927, a few months after the painter's death.
Willows seen only in the mirror of water
The official notice describes branches reflected in dark green, blue and purple, accompanied by few water lilies. No horizon separates the garden from its image.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact INV 20107 set from the Orangery
- The monumental ratio of 200 × 850 cm
- Continuity between the two panels
- Rare flowers in front of the vertical reflections of willows
Work sheet
| Title | Tree reflections, Water Lilies |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1914 - 1926 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 200 × 850 cm in total |
| Orientation | Monumental panoramic diptych |
| Conservation | Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, France |
| Inventory | INV 20107 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This panoramic composition brings calm depth to a large wall. Blue greens, purples and pale pink accents match off-white, stone, deep green or midnight blue interiors, with soft, side-sensitive light.
