À propos de l’œuvre
Le pont japonais, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · around 1918 -1924 · Fondation Beyeler · W1921
The Japanese Bridge, Givernyhand painted reproduction
A deep green arch passes through turquoise blue vegetation that fills almost the entire surface. In this version from the Fondation Beyeler, the pool remains open in the center: the water lilies and their yellow reflections float in a cold, dense and enveloping light.
Look at the work
The green bridge emerges from a garden that has become a network of touches and reflections
The arch occupies the middle of the canvas and widens towards the edges. It is not drawn in a single stroke: greens, blacks, blues and grays overlap, then are taken up by the same brush loops as the vegetation. The clear passage under the bridge nevertheless retains a very readable depth.
Above, the willows and wisteria form a curtain of curved gestures, emerald green and petrol blue. In the water, the touches become more horizontal. Small orange-yellows, spaced like sparks, are enough to make the water lilies float in front of the dark reflections.
The arch remains recognizable, but Monet removes all rigidity from it: wood, water and plants now belong to the same moving material.
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 arch built by rework
The curve must remain wide and irregular. Its dark greens are crossed with blue and gray; a uniform outline would transform the living structure into a mechanical silhouette.
A plant curtain almost without sky
The loops and verticals at the top close the space without becoming a flat mass. Variations of turquoise, purple and green give air between the branches.
Water lilies reduced to a few warm accents
The small yellows and oranges immediately catch the eye. They must remain rare and scattered in order to preserve balance with the large cold range.
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 view of the Fondation Beyeler measures 2244 × 1724 px. The details of 1700 × 700 px and 1600 × 620 px are direct cropping. No files have been enlarged; all three images are true controlled 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 90.15, Wildenstein catalog 1921
The Fondation Beyeler preserves this oil on canvas measuring 89 × 115.5 cm, dated around 1918 -1924. A succession stamp appears at the top right.
From Michel Monet to the Beyeler collection
The work remained with Michel Monet at least until the 1950s, passed through Katia Granoff, Daniel Wildenstein and a private collection, then was acquired by Ernst Beyeler during the Sotheby's sale on May 17, 1990.
Joined the Fondation Beyeler in 1997
Present in the Beyeler collection since 1990, the painting has belonged to the Foundation since 1997. It has been shown in numerous exhibitions devoted to Monet, Giverny and Japonism.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact Wildenstein 1921 version from the Fondation Beyeler
- The wide arch kept irregular and without hard outline
- Differentiated plant curls in a cold range
- The small yellow accents kept rare and bright
Work sheet
| Title | The Japanese Bridge, Giverny |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | around 1918 -1924 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 89 × 115.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland |
| Inventory | 90.15 · Wildenstein 1921 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This horizontal reproduction brings a calm plant depth. Turquoise, dark greens and bluish grays match cream, sage, midnight blue or natural wood walls, with a soft side light that reveals layers of paint.
