À propos de l’œuvre
Le pont japonais, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · circa 1918 -1924 · private collection · W1915
The Japanese Bridge, private collection W1915hand painted reproduction
The arch of the Japanese bridge can be seen under blue-green, purple and almost white vegetation. Monet thickens and superimposes the keys until making the Giverny garden a space without stable depth, where the bridge emerges like a dark line then disappears into the material.
Look at the work
The bridge arch resists in the middle of vegetation that has become almost abstract
A dark curve crosses the upper half, reinforced by a few reds and purples. It indicates the bridge without closing the outline. Below, a lighter blue-green area opens the pool; the horizontal touches of the water meet the vertical gestures of the plants.
The edges of the canvas remain very active, with broken whites, turquoise and deep blues. The center is no more precise than the periphery. The composition is understood by change of direction and density rather than by descriptive drawing.
In this late version, Monet no longer seeks to show each element of the garden: he lets the material reveal the arch, the water and the foliage to the rhythm of the gaze.
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.
A discontinuous but decisive arch
The bridge is read by a purple-red curve that crosses the greens. Making it too clear would transform this late work into a conventional landscape.
A cold palette crossed by red accents
Turquoise, blue and green dominate, but small crimson passages enliven the arch and foliage. These accents must remain buried in the layers.
Impasto that organizes space
Horizontal water gestures, vegetation loops and clear repetitions replace perspective. Brush direction becomes as important as color.
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 official Christie's view measures 3,200 × 2,289 px; native cropping measures 1,900 × 1,200 px and 1,500 × 1,350 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.
Wildenstein 1915
Christie's documents this oil on canvas of 73 × 100.3 cm, painted in Giverny around 1918 -1924. Claude Monet's catalog raisonné records it under number 1915.
Two inheritance stamps
The canvas bears a Claude Monet stamp at the bottom right and a second on the reverse. These marks are distinct from a signature drawn by the artist at the time of execution.
From Michel Monet to a family of collectors
The work passed from the artist's estate to his son Michel Monet, then to the Katia Granoff Gallery. The owner family acquired it from this gallery no later than 1960.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact Wildenstein 1915 version
- The original format of 73 × 100.3 cm
- The preserved arch without continuous outline
- The density of blue-green, white and purple impasto
Work sheet
| Title | The Japanese Bridge, private collection W1915 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | around 1918 -1924 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73 × 100.3 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Private collection, Work documented by Christie's |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 1915 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Deep turquoise, emerald green, gray white and purple make up an intense and contemporary palette. This reproduction works particularly well on a warm white, dark green, midnight blue or mineral gray wall.
